One week after approximately 50,000 University fans stormed the field at Scott Stadium to celebrate the Cavaliers’ upset win over Florida State Sept. 26, some students are still recovering from their injuries.
While no fatalities were reported, 19 students were hospitalized and dozens more injured. Many students were crushed or trampled as the crowd surged down the steep hillside adjoining the student section. Event staff and University Police pulled students from beneath the pile, and several were carried out on stretchers.
Friday’s game — the stadium’s largest crowd since 2023 — ended in a rush that quickly overwhelmed the student section hill. The chaos drew comparisons to the University’s 1995 upset over Florida State, when fans also stormed the field.
One student, who preferred to remain anonymous because of their experience, was carried out on a stretcher after being pinned in the rush and unable to stand.The student later described the storm as “being crushed into a human pretzel under the weight of all these students.”
“My left leg just felt like hell, like it was really painful, especially my knee and upper thigh and then my foot too. I couldn't move it at all. Trying to move it caused intense pain. So I had to be put in a stretcher and go into the ambulance,” the student said.
First-year College student Alexa Sribar was also knocked down in the rush and could not get back up.
“When the final call came that we had won, everyone rushed toward the field. I ran for a few seconds, and then people around me started falling — suddenly I was down and pinned to the ground,” Sribar said. “I think I blacked out. It was hard to breathe, and I thought I was going to be crushed. I couldn’t see anything, and it was so hot.”
Sribar was among many trampled but not hospitalized. She has since tried to schedule an appointment with Student Health and Wellness after her roommate, who was also caught in the rush, was diagnosed with a concussion.
Fourth-year Batten student Caitlin Winston, who ran down from the hill, also recalled the danger she felt and said she did her best to remain on her feet but eventually fell.
“It was like dominoes. Everyone started falling, and I fell on my friend. I was sandwiched between my two friends, and we were all yelling, ‘help, help us,’” Winston said.
University event staff, police and EMTs were on-site to maintain order, but the rush unfolded so immediately that Florida State players had not yet cleared the field when fans surged forward. The ACC later fined the University $50,000 for violating its prohibition on field storming. In the immediate aftermath, staff focused on aiding students who could not stand on their own, even as others sustained injuries, according to the anonymous student.
Students struggled to identify what safety measures could have prevented the rush or made it safer. The anonymous student instead blamed reckless behavior in the student section.
“It was more of a student issue because I think people at the top just got a little bit too excited … if it does happen, people, students especially, really need to be careful and make sure the people in front of them have enough time to process [what is happening],” the anonymous student said.
Winston also described how many personal goods were lost during the rush that people were unable to retrieve.
“My friends were losing wallets and shoes, and I was just like, ‘leave it,’ because … the crowd could fall again on us … or could get worse,” Winston said.
While the field storm went viral online, some students said that the injuries were not worth the rush.
“I don't think the amount of injuries sustained by students were worth the viral clip,” the same anonymous student said.
Second-year College student Kiro Ibrahim, who passed out during the rush due to asthma, said he still believes field rushing should be allowed.
“As much as I want to say there needs to be restrictions, I genuinely feel like it was a freak accident,” Ibrahim said. “Prayers for everybody involved, but I don’t want this to be used to take away something so many people enjoy.”
Ibrahim later slipped and hit his head during the rush, but was taken to the hospital without sustaining serious injuries.
Sribar, however, pointed to the design of Scott Stadium as a major factor in the danger.
“Honestly, I think U.Va. just isn’t built to sustain a field rush. The hill is really treacherous — it’s super steep,” Sribar said.
Still, Sribar said she does not believe the University could have prevented the rush.
“There’s just not really much you can do — something like that is bound to happen,” Sribar said. “I don’t think there’s anything U.Va. could have done to stop it.”
Scott Stadium previously had barricades at the bottom of the student section, but they were removed in 2006 after a similar field storm in 2005 — also following a win over Florida State — left 20 students injured.
Winston described her feelings after the field storm, noting that while it was a fun celebration, people were put in a lot of danger for it.
“It was a weird feeling afterward,” Winston said. “I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate such a great win, but my friends and I couldn’t shake the fact that we had just been in a really dangerous situation.”
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