Virginia women’s lacrosse team to attend slain teammate’s funeral; memorial funds set up

Women’s lacrosse team to attend teammate’s funeral

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Virginia women’s lacrosse team will take a break from preparing for final exams and an anticipated berth in the NCAA tournament to travel to Maryland and pay its respects to slain teammate Yeardley Love.

School officials said the team plans to attend Friday’s visitation in Towson and Saturday’s funeral in Baltimore for the 22-year-old, who was found beaten in the bedroom of her apartment early Monday.

Virginia lacrosse player George Huguely has been charged with first-degree murder in her death. The women’s team trip will come one day after their first practice since the slaying.

Memorial funds are being set up at two schools Love attended: Notre Dame Preparatory School in Baltimore established the Yeardley Love Memorial Fund; and the Virginia Lacrosse Alumni Network has set up the Yeardley Love Women’s Lacrosse Scholarship Fund through the school’s Virginia Athletics Foundation.

The goal for the VLAN fund is at least $500,000, which would fully endow one scholarship per year on a continuing basis, said Lo Davis, assistant director of the Virginia Athletics Foundation. Within three hours of being announced, he said the fund received donations and pledges reaching into six figures.

“It goes to show that people really care and want to make a positive out of such a tragic event,” he said. Most of the pledges, he said, are in the range of about $1,000.

Drew Fox, a lacrosse player who graduated UVA in 1993, said the quick response shows the closeness of the Virginia lacrosse family, and its desire to do something for Love’s family carrying into the future. Former players going back to the 1950s have called to make donations, he said.

“It’s significant for the family because all they want is a legacy for their beautiful, sweet daughter to go on forever, and that’s what we’re trying to do here,” Fox said.

Also Friday, the Catholic Student Ministry at the university planned a Mass in honor of Love at noon at the university chapel. The Mass will not be a funeral or the university’s memorial service, but a chance for Catholics at Virginia to pray for the former student.

Virginia Athletics Foundation: virginiaathleticsfoundation.com/vaf2/

Notre Dame Preparatory School: www.notredameprep.com/