BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — Following ongoing consultation, West Virginia Wesleyan College has announced today that the institution will suspend competition for the remainder of the 2026 women’s lacrosse season, effective immediately.

"While we are disappointed that West Virginia Wesleyan will not be able to complete the 2026 women's lacrosse season, and we regret the impact to competitive opportunities for the MEC opponents remaining on Wesleyan's 2026 schedule, we believe this to be an appropriate path forward in the best interest of all impacted student-athletes and the long-term health of the program," said MEC Commissioner Reid Amos. "We have every confidence that West Virginia Wesleyan's announcement of a national search for new leadership will lead to the program's return in 2027 and will place them on a path to becoming an increasingly competitive member of the MEC."

WVWC’s women’s lacrosse team last competed on Wednesday, April 1. Following multiple meetings with student-athletes led by WVWC’s administrators, it was determined that the team would not have the level of participation necessary to complete the remainder of the spring schedule.

The Bobcats' six remaining 2026 MEC women's lacrosse contests will be recorded as forfeits per conference policy. The conference office will coordinate with affected member institutions regarding impacts to the remaining portion of 2026 schedules. This circumstance will not affect the field size or team qualification for the 2026 MEC Women's Lacrosse Tournament (five teams), nor will it affect the conference's NCAA automatic qualifier (AQ) status for 2026 or future years.