COVID-19 Outbreak Causes Cancellation of UC Santa Barbara Water Polo Season

Photo Courtesy: MINETTE RUBIN

An outbreak of COVID-19 has caused the cancellation of the last month of the UC Santa Barbara women’s water polo season.

The university announced the decision Monday. The Gauchos had three matches scheduled for April, including games outside the two-week window for quarantines, but the plug was pulled on the season due to the number of infections affecting the team.

“It is unfortunate that we needed to take this action,” UCSB Director of Athletics John McCutcheon said in a statement. “But circumstances forced our decision. We will continue to support the team as we progress through this difficult situation.”

UC Santa Barbara had been 3-5 on the season. Its last game was March 27 against UC San Diego.

According to the Santa Barbara Independent, 10 players have contracted the novel coronavirus. They’ve been kept away from campus since before their last match and the university is conducting contact tracing.

“The impacted individuals are self-isolating and have not used any campus facilities since March 25, 2021,” the university said in a statement to the Independent. “Public health officials are leading contract [sic] tracing and outreach efforts.”

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use