A Season of Uncertainty
Student-Athletes Reflect on Lost Opportunities as They Persevere Through Pandemic
By Jason Yellin
Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics
Nearly all of Maryland’s 500 student-athletes have now had a season cut short, canceled or postponed due to the pandemic.
The debut issue of One Maryland magazine recently arrived in the mailboxes of Terrapin Club members. The new publication features stories of strength, perseverance, determination and spirit. Over the next few weeks, Maryland Athletics will roll out these stories on umterps.com as a preview.
The cover story delves into the impact of COVID-canceled sports seasons on competing Terps, with nearly all of UMD’s 500 student-athletes having a season cut short or postponed:
For Jake Funk, it meant a chance to run out of the shell into Maryland Stadium with a fully reconstructed knee.
For Erika Pritchard, it meant an opportunity to become the Terps’ all-time leader in volleyball points and kills.
For Ben and Matt Di Rosa, it meant one final season of the identical twins playing on the same soccer field as they had done for the last 18 years.
These hopes and dreams were paused on Aug. 11 when the Big Ten Conference announced it was postponing the Fall 2020 season due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The move came nearly five months to the day from when the conference stated that all winter and spring competitions were being canceled on March 12.
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