At 23, Krishna Jayasankar Menon is not merely breaking records; she is reshaping the imagination of what Indian women in heavy athletics can become. The Chennai-born shot putter has emerged as one of the biggest stories in Indian track and field in 2026 after rewriting the Indian indoor national record three times in a matter of months. Her latest throw of 17.09m made her the first Indian woman ever to breach the 17-metre barrier indoors. Yet behind the statistics and medals lies a story built on resilience, reinvention, and relentless obsession.&nbsp;Krishna calls her relationship with throwing ‘complicated’. Some days she loves it. Other days, she wants to ‘kill it’. But perhaps that emotional tug-of-war is what has shaped the athlete she is becoming, someone willing to confront failure head-on instead of hiding from it. Born into a deeply sporting family, Krishna was introduced to elite competition almost before she understood it. Her parents, Jayasankar Menon and Prasanna Jayasankar, both captained India’s basketball teams, and sport became the foundation of the family’s identity and livelihood. “Sports were the breadwinner for our family,” she recalls. “My parents came from Kerala to Tamil Nadu through sports and built a life.”&nbsp;Krishna’s own journey into athletics started in the fifth grade when a physical education teacher spotted her potential at school in Chennai. What started as a scouting decision in 2012 eventually transformed into a 15-year commitment to one of athletics’ most technically demanding disciplines. But the road from Chennai school competitions to the NCAA circuit in the United States was far from smooth. For Krishna, 2024 became the defining turning point of her career, not because of triumph, but because of collapse.&nbsp;A fractured hand, recurring injuries, and a season without competition shattered her Olympic dreams and forced her into one of the darkest phases of her sporting life. After months away from competition, she entered the Mountain West Championships hoping for a breakthrough, only to foul every throw in discus. That moment changed her. “I told myself I was done preaching to be mediocre,” Krishna says bluntly. “That’s not why I left my country. That’s not why I left my family.” The transformation that followed was not purely technical. It was psychological. Krishna stopped blaming circumstances, stopped waiting for luck, and started taking ownership of every aspect of her training and mindset. She entered 2025 determined not simply to participate, but to dominate. And the results came quickly.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/who-won-yesterdays-ipl-2026-match-between-gujarat-titans-vs-chennai-super-kings-check-result-1779417741696">Who won yesterday's IPL 2026 match between Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings? Check result</a>&nbsp;She became the first Indian female thrower to qualify for the NCAA Championships in discus throw, broke long-standing university records at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and carried that momentum into 2026, where she attacked the Indian indoor record repeatedly. But even Krishna admits she did not anticipate how quickly the progression would happen. Breaking the 17m barrier was a dream she had written in her diary, but not something she expected to accomplish in such emphatic fashion. “When I finally did it, I cried,” she says. “You fantasise about people throwing 17 metres. Then suddenly you realise you’re one of them.”<h2>‘I had to leave India to understand my worth’</h2>Her rise also carries a deeper personal significance. Growing up in Chennai, Krishna often faced body shaming and struggled with self-confidence. For years, she viewed her body through the lens of criticism instead of strength. That changed dramatically during her move to Jamaica at 18, a decision that would redefine her outlook on womanhood and identity. “I had to leave India to understand my worth,” she says. “In Jamaica, I saw women carry themselves with confidence and pride. That changed the way I looked at myself.” Jamaica became more than a training destination. It became the place where Krishna learned independence, self-belief, and emotional resilience. Living alone for the first time, navigating uncertainty, and adapting to a completely different culture forced her to mature rapidly.&nbsp;That experience later helped her transition into the gruelling NCAA system, a world she believes many Indians underestimate. “People think NCAA is easy,” she says. “But most athletes there are Olympians, world medallists, and national record holders.” The demands are relentless. Krishna’s season often stretches from January to October with barely any breaks between competitions, training blocks, travel, and academic responsibilities. As a Master’s student at the University of Nevada, she balances lectures, assignments, recovery sessions, gym work, and elite competition almost every week. It is precisely why she calls herself a “16-year-old grandma.” “All I think about is track and field 24/7,” she laughs.<h2>‘I believe in manifestation’</h2>&nbsp;Now entering the outdoor season, Krishna has fixed her eyes firmly on India’s outdoor national record of 18.41m, a number she says she sees every morning on a sticker placed deliberately in her room. “I believe in manifestation,” she says. “My coach believes it’s achievable. My team believes in me. And I believe in the work we are putting in.” But records alone are not enough anymore.&nbsp;For Krishna, 2026 is a “year of redemption” because there remains one dream she has not fulfilled: standing on a podium while representing India. Despite years of competing at the senior level, she has often finished agonisingly close to medals without ever fully breaking through internationally for the national team. “I’ve never had the chance to wear India on my back on a podium,” she says. “That’s the fire that wakes me up every single day.”&nbsp;That hunger now fuels her preparations for the 2026 Asian Games, where she believes Indian athletics is ready to make a global statement. “I think Indian athletics is on the horizon,” Krishna says, referencing athletes like Neeraj Chopra, Tejaswin Shankar, and Jyothi Yarraji who have elevated India’s credibility internationally.&nbsp;And perhaps what makes Krishna especially compelling is the way she speaks about shot put itself. To outsiders, it appears brute and straightforward — raw power applied to a steel ball. Krishna sees something far more artistic. “Throwing is basically sprinting inside a seven-foot ring,” she signed off. “We’re trying to generate the same speed and force as sprinters, but in a tiny confined space while rotating.”

Krishna Jayasankar Menon became the first Indian woman to breach the 17m indoor shot put mark. The NCAA athlete now targets the Asian Games and India’s national record

At 23, Krishna Jayasankar Menon is not merely breaking records; she is reshaping the imagination of what Indian women in heavy athletics can become. The Chennai-born shot putter has emerged as one of the biggest stories in Indian track and field in 2026 after rewriting the Indian indoor national record three times in a matter of months. Her latest throw of 17.09m made her the first Indian woman ever to breach the 17-metre barrier indoors. Yet behind the statistics and medals lies a story built on resilience, reinvention, and relentless obsession. Krishna calls her relationship with throwing ‘complicated’. Some days she loves it. Other days, she wants to ‘kill it’. But perhaps that emotional tug-of-war is what has shaped the athlete she is becoming, someone willing to confront failure head-on instead of hiding from it. Born into a deeply sporting family, Krishna was introduced to elite competition almost before she understood it. Her parents, Jayasankar Menon and Prasanna Jayasankar, both captained India’s basketball teams, and sport became the foundation of the family’s identity and livelihood. “Sports were the breadwinner for our family,” she recalls. “My parents came from Kerala to Tamil Nadu through sports and built a life.” Krishna’s own journey into athletics started in the fifth grade when a physical education teacher spotted her potential at school in Chennai. What started as a scouting decision in 2012 eventually transformed into a 15-year commitment to one of athletics’ most technically demanding disciplines. But the road from Chennai school competitions to the NCAA circuit in the United States was far from smooth. For Krishna, 2024 became the defining turning point of her career, not because of triumph, but because of collapse. A fractured hand, recurring injuries, and a season without competition shattered her Olympic dreams and forced her into one of the darkest phases of her sporting life. After months away from competition, she entered the Mountain West Championships hoping for a breakthrough, only to foul every throw in discus. That moment changed her. “I told myself I was done preaching to be mediocre,” Krishna says bluntly. “That’s not why I left my country. That’s not why I left my family.” The transformation that followed was not purely technical. It was psychological. Krishna stopped blaming circumstances, stopped waiting for luck, and started taking ownership of every aspect of her training and mindset. She entered 2025 determined not simply to participate, but to dominate. And the results came quickly. Also Read: Who won yesterday's IPL 2026 match between Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings? Check result She became the first Indian female thrower to qualify for the NCAA Championships in discus throw, broke long-standing university records at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and carried that momentum into 2026, where she attacked the Indian indoor record repeatedly. But even Krishna admits she did not anticipate how quickly the progression would happen. Breaking the 17m barrier was a dream she had written in her diary, but not something she expected to accomplish in such emphatic fashion. “When I finally did it, I cried,” she says. “You fantasise about people throwing 17 metres. Then suddenly you realise you’re one of them.” ‘I had to leave India to understand my worth’ Her rise also carries a deeper personal significance. Growing up in Chennai, Krishna often faced body shaming and struggled with self-confidence. For years, she viewed her body through the lens of criticism instead of strength. That changed dramatically during her move to Jamaica at 18, a decision that would redefine her outlook on womanhood and identity. “I had to leave India to understand my worth,” she says. “In Jamaica, I saw women carry themselves with confidence and pride. That changed the way I looked at myself.” Jamaica became more than a training destination. It became the place where Krishna learned independence, self-belief, and emotional resilience. Living alone for the first time, navigating uncertainty, and adapting to a completely different culture forced her to mature rapidly. That experience later helped her transition into the gruelling NCAA system, a world she believes many Indians underestimate. “People think NCAA is easy,” she says. “But most athletes there are Olympians, world medallists, and national record holders.” The demands are relentless. Krishna’s season often stretches from January to October with barely any breaks between competitions, training blocks, travel, and academic responsibilities. As a Master’s student at the University of Nevada, she balances lectures, assignments, recovery sessions, gym work, and elite competition almost every week. It is precisely why she calls herself a “16-year-old grandma.” “All I think about is track and field 24/7,” she laughs. ‘I believe in manifestation’ Now entering the outdoor season, Krishna has fixed her eyes firmly on India’s outdoor national record of 18.41m, a number she says she sees every morning on a sticker placed deliberately in her room. “I believe in manifestation,” she says. “My coach believes it’s achievable. My team believes in me. And I believe in the work we are putting in.” But records alone are not enough anymore. For Krishna, 2026 is a “year of redemption” because there remains one dream she has not fulfilled: standing on a podium while representing India. Despite years of competing at the senior level, she has often finished agonisingly close to medals without ever fully breaking through internationally for the national team. “I’ve never had the chance to wear India on my back on a podium,” she says. “That’s the fire that wakes me up every single day.” That hunger now fuels her preparations for the 2026 Asian Games, where she believes Indian athletics is ready to make a global statement. “I think Indian athletics is on the horizon,” Krishna says, referencing athletes like Neeraj Chopra, Tejaswin Shankar, and Jyothi Yarraji who have elevated India’s credibility internationally. And perhaps what makes Krishna especially compelling is the way she speaks about shot put itself. To outsiders, it appears brute and straightforward — raw power applied to a steel ball. Krishna sees something far more artistic. “Throwing is basically sprinting inside a seven-foot ring,” she signed off. “We’re trying to generate the same speed and force as sprinters, but in a tiny confined space while rotating.”

Krishna Jayasankar Menon became the first Indian woman to cross the 17m mark indoors and now targets Asian Games glory in 2026

From body shaming to breaking records: Inside Krishna Jayasankar Menon's redemption year and Asian Games dream

The Texas Tech Red Raiders, a college basketball team in NCAA Division I in USA, has signed up the tallest player in history of the college basketball to their women's team. The Lady Raiders have added Stephanie Okechukwu, a 7-foot-1 center with wingspan of 7-foot-4, from Umunneochi, Nigeria. She will be the tallest player ever to play a women's college baskteball game whenever she takes the court. The addition of Okechukwu can help the Red Raiders consolidate their undefeated 16-0 start this season which already their best in the history of their program. The Red Raiders women's team is currently ranked 17th in the NCAA Division I college basketball rankings.Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-open-2026-prize-money-pool-announced-with-16-hike-full-details-inside-1767675136491">Australian Open 2026: Prize money pool announced with 16% hike; full details inside</a><h2>Who is Stephanie Okechukwu?</h2>Okechukwu hails from Umunneoch in Nigeria and has played basketball in high school at Fukuchiyama Seibi in Kyoto, Japan. She, however, has never played collegiate or professional basketball. The NCAA is still determining her eligilibity to play for the Red Raiders women's team. The announcment for the 21-year-old joining the Red Raiders came on Friday (Jan 3) with multiple photos and a video of Okechukwu on the team's official X handle.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Excited to have Stephanie in the 806 🫶<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WreckEm?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WreckEm</a> <a href="https://t.co/heRDn2s5rQ">pic.twitter.com/heRDn2s5rQ</a>&mdash; Lady Raider Basketball (@LadyRaiderWBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/LadyRaiderWBB/status/2007266086023246050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“She was worth the time, effort and teamwork that went into getting her here,” team coach Krista Gerlich said in a news release. “She brings an element to our team that is an instant impact. Her ability to protect the rim and alter shots will be unique to one. She has great hands and touch around the basket and clearly will provide a big inside target at the rim.”Okechukwu is not the first foreigner of Red Raiders' roster but fifth as a matter of fact. The Red Raiders already have players from France, Spain and the Czech Republic with Gemma Nunez (Spain) and Sarengbe Sanogo (France) having started every game this season.

Stephanie Okechukwu, a 7-foot-1 center with wingspan of 7-foot-4, is from Umunneochi, Nigeria. The announcment for the 21-year-old joining the Red Raiders came on Friday (Jan 3). The NCAA is still determining her eligilibity to play for the Red Raiders women's team.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders, a college basketball team in NCAA Division I in USA, has signed up the tallest player in history of the college basketball to their women's team. The Lady Raiders have added Stephanie Okechukwu, a 7-foot-1 center with wingspan of 7-foot-4, from Umunneochi, Nigeria. She will be the tallest player ever to play a women's college baskteball game whenever she takes the court. The addition of Okechukwu can help the Red Raiders consolidate their undefeated 16-0 start this season which already their best in the history of their program. The Red Raiders women's team is currently ranked 17th in the NCAA Division I college basketball rankings. Also Read - Australian Open 2026: Prize money pool announced with 16% hike; full details inside Who is Stephanie Okechukwu? Okechukwu hails from Umunneoch in Nigeria and has played basketball in high school at Fukuchiyama Seibi in Kyoto, Japan. She, however, has never played collegiate or professional basketball. The NCAA is still determining her eligilibity to play for the Red Raiders women's team. The announcment for the 21-year-old joining the Red Raiders came on Friday (Jan 3) with multiple photos and a video of Okechukwu on the team's official X handle.

Stephanie Okechukwu, a 7-foot-1 center with wingspan of 7-foot-4, is from Umunneochi, Nigeria. The announcment for the 21-year-old joining the Red Raiders came on Friday (Jan 3). The NCAA is still determining her eligilibity to play for the Red Raiders women's team.

Who is Stephanie Okechukwu? Texas Tech signs tallest player in NCAA women’s college basketball history

Georgetown Hoyas, on Sunday, in Indianapolis, managed to break their losing streak of 22 road games after they beat Butler Bulldogs 68-62 for a rare conference win. The last win on the road for the Hoyas came on February 17, 2021. For Georgetown, who are 7-21 overall and 2-15 in Big East Conference, Brandon Murray scored 17 points and six rebounds. Apart from him, Qudus Wahab also chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds while Jay Heath scored 12 points and seven rebounds. For Butler Bulldogs, Jaden Taylor top scored with 21 points while Ali Ali added 11 points.

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The Hoyas were trailing 37-32 by the end of first half buy with managed to run plays for eight points and conceding nothing in the second half with 7:49 left on the clock. This 8-0 run gave Georgetown one point lead at with the scores being 55-54 before the Hoyas finished off the game with a W. Hoyas' Murray helped his team charge in the second half as he score 13 of his 17 points post break. &nbsp;

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Before this shocker of a loss, Butler had a perfect record of 12-0 this season whenever they led by the halftime but Georgetown had different plans for them. On January 24, Hoyas had also broken 29-game in-conference losing streak after beating DePaul. And after their latest and only second win of the conference, Hoyas also evened the all-time series against Butler, which started back in 2009, at 11-11. The Bulldogs are currently at 5-15 in the Big East and 13-15 overall.

The game can be defined as the game of big runs in the two halves. The first one was dominated by Butler as the Bulldogs scored 14 points while the Hoyas just managed three point for the first 5:48 minutes. In the second half, Georgetown managed a 12-0 run to bring their deficit to just one point.

Georgetown Hoyas, on Sunday, in Indianapolis, managed to break their losing streak of 22 road games after they beat Butler Bulldogs 68-62 for a rare conference win.

Georgetown Hoyas, on Sunday, in Indianapolis, managed to break their losing streak of 22 road games after they beat Butler Bulldogs 68-62 for a rare conference win. The last win on the road for the Hoyas came on February 17, 2021. For Georgetown, who are 7-21 overall and 2-15 in Big East Conference, Brandon Murray scored 17 points and six rebounds. Apart from him, Qudus Wahab also chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds while Jay Heath scored 12 points and seven rebounds. For Butler Bulldogs, Jaden Taylor top scored with 21 points while Ali Ali added 11 points. Also Read: NBA: LeBron James ready to push Lakers for 'most important 23 games of career' The Hoyas were trailing 37-32 by the end of first half buy with managed to run plays for eight points and conceding nothing in the second half with 7:49 left on the clock. This 8-0 run gave Georgetown one point lead at with the scores being 55-54 before the Hoyas finished off the game with a W. Hoyas' Murray helped his team charge in the second half as he score 13 of his 17 points post break. Read More: XFL 2023: All you need to know including rules, teams, games and more Before this shocker of a loss, Butler had a perfect record of 12-0 this season whenever they led by the halftime but Georgetown had different plans for them. On January 24, Hoyas had also broken 29-game in-conference losing streak after beating DePaul. And after their latest and only second win of the conference, Hoyas also evened the all-time series against Butler, which started back in 2009, at 11-11. The Bulldogs are currently at 5-15 in the Big East and 13-15 overall. The game can be defined as the game of big runs in the two halves. The first one was dominated by Butler as the Bulldogs scored 14 points while the Hoyas just managed three point for the first 5:48 minutes. In the second half, Georgetown managed a 12-0 run to bring their deficit to just one point.

College Basketball: Georgetown hands Butler defeat, snap 22-game streak with rare road win

The NCAA quietly rewrote part of its coronavirus safety protocols, which college sports administrators have routinely used to justify holding basketball championships during the pandemic, to potentially shorten the quarantines of some teams arriving in Indiana for the Division I men’s tournament.

The association’s published health guidelines, which also apply to the women’s tournament scheduled to begin next week in Texas, call for teams to “remain in quarantine until two consecutive tests on separate days are confirmed negative, at which time team practice may begin.” But the NCAA’s unannounced change offers teams arriving late at night a quicker way out: negative results on virus tests separated by at least 12 hours.

The shift, acknowledged only after inquiries from The New York Times, allowed Iona, the No. 15 seed in the East region, to practice less than 24 hours after its chartered plane landed in Indianapolis late in the night it clinched its automatic bid.

The episode involving Iona, which coach Rick Pitino steered to a victory in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday, is an early signal of how the NCAA may interpret, apply and change the safety rules it is relying on to stage 67 games in Indiana over the coming weeks.

Like their counterparts in many leagues, college sports administrators routinely recalibrated their approach to the pandemic, not just in details but sometimes with respect to issues they had depicted as foundational principles. Last year, for instance, executives regularly said that college games would not happen unless students were on campuses for classes — a position that ultimately faded away as the fall football season approached.

The NCAA quietly rewrote part of its coronavirus safety protocols, which college sports administrators have routinely used to justify holding basketball championships during the pandemic, to potentially shorten the quarantines of some teams arriving in Indiana for the Division I men’s tournament.

The NCAA quietly rewrote part of its coronavirus safety protocols, which college sports administrators have routinely used to justify holding basketball championships during the pandemic, to potentially shorten the quarantines of some teams arriving in Indiana for the Division I men’s tournament. The association’s published health guidelines, which also apply to the women’s tournament scheduled to begin next week in Texas, call for teams to “remain in quarantine until two consecutive tests on separate days are confirmed negative, at which time team practice may begin.” But the NCAA’s unannounced change offers teams arriving late at night a quicker way out: negative results on virus tests separated by at least 12 hours. The shift, acknowledged only after inquiries from The New York Times, allowed Iona, the No. 15 seed in the East region, to practice less than 24 hours after its chartered plane landed in Indianapolis late in the night it clinched its automatic bid. The episode involving Iona, which coach Rick Pitino steered to a victory in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament on Saturday, is an early signal of how the NCAA may interpret, apply and change the safety rules it is relying on to stage 67 games in Indiana over the coming weeks. Like their counterparts in many leagues, college sports administrators routinely recalibrated their approach to the pandemic, not just in details but sometimes with respect to issues they had depicted as foundational principles. Last year, for instance, executives regularly said that college games would not happen unless students were on campuses for classes — a position that ultimately faded away as the fall football season approached.

NCAA quietly eases a virus safety rule

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — As college leaders deliberated whether to bring students back to campus, none led the charge for reopening more forcefully than the president of the University of Notre Dame.

The Rev. John I. Jenkins, the university’s president and a 66-year-old Catholic priest with degrees in philosophy and divinity, was among the first to invite students back for dorm life, intercollegiate sports and face-to-face classes, arguing in a New York Times op-ed in May that the college had a moral obligation to not be crippled by fear. He also seemed humble about the challenge: When he forgot social distancing rules as he posed for pictures with students returning to campus in August, he issued a public apology.

But all the humility in the world might not have spared Jenkins from the storm of protest he now faces over the latest news from South Bend: that he not only violated his own health rules — appearing without a mask at a White House reception last month for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a Supreme Court nominee and former Notre Dame Law School professor — but also is infected with the coronavirus himself.

Students have petitioned for his resignation, angry over what they consider his hypocrisy as well as the rising tide of infections on campus. Others have reported him to a coronavirus hotline for violating his own mask mandate. The student newspaper called the affair “embarrassing” in an editorial. And the faculty senate stopped one vote short Tuesday night of considering a vote of no confidence in his leadership.

“I haven’t seen people this outraged in my whole career and I’ve been here since 2001,” Eileen Hunt Botting, a political science professor, said.

Neither Jenkins nor the school spokesman, Paul Browne, responded to requests for comment.

“I regret my error of judgment in not wearing a mask during the ceremony and by shaking hands with a number of people in the Rose Garden,” the school president said in a statement posted last week on the Notre Dame website. “I failed to lead by example, at a time when I’ve asked everyone else in the Notre Dame community to do so.”

In a follow-up email to students and faculty Friday announcing that he had tested positive for the virus, Jenkins and the school’s communications staff wrote that he had been tested after learning that “a colleague with whom he has been in regular contact” had the virus.

In a Zoom meeting Tuesday night, the faculty senate voted 21-20 after raucous debate to postpone the proposed no-confidence vote while they gathered more feedback. A second motion to consider commending the president, who was not in attendance, was also postponed, overwhelmingly.

Comments from faculty members distributed at the meeting included expressions of empathy for Jenkins, who is certainly not the first college president to get the virus.

“Father Jenkins is already sick,” one faculty member wrote. “That is enough punishment.”

But many others bristled with resentment that he visited Washington when their own travel has been forbidden.

“I have not seen my aging parents in over a year,” one faculty member said. Others said they had canceled research trips and vacations. One had missed the birth of a first grandchild.

In an interview, Hunt Botting, who is not a member of the faculty senate, said Jenkins had not only failed to practice what he preached, but also opened Notre Dame’s reputation to political exploitation by seeming to endorse both President Donald Trump’s court nomination and his resistance to face masks.

“This calls into question not only his ability to carry out rules he imposed on faculty, staff and students but also his ability to steer clear of overtly politicized events such as the one at the Rose Garden,” she said.

A petition calling for Jenkins’ resignation and signed by more than 200 students was rejected last week by the student government. But Ashton Weber, a 20-year-old economics major who drafted the petition, said she planned to revive and circulate it among faculty, staff and parents.

“I do recognize that having a professor and alumna nominated to the highest court in the United States is a really big honor, but there’s completely a double standard,” Weber said. “Students have been dismissed for this type of thing.”

About 770 Notre Dame students on the 12,700-student campus have tested positive for the virus this semester, according to the campus dashboard. An internal federal government report from last month showed surrounding St. Joseph County as being a major coronavirus hot spot, citing returning Notre Dame students as a possible source of community infection.

Notre Dame required students returning to campus to be tested for the coronavirus before the start of the semester in early August, and then to make themselves available along with faculty and staff for random surveillance testing, regardless of symptoms. Athletes were also tested regularly under NCAA rules. Masks have been mandatory on campus, indoors and outdoors.

But the university’s health protocols still fell short of the rigorous testing, tracing and isolation standards recommended by experts. Many students also found the rules imposed by Notre Dame unsustainable. Cases surged so steeply in mid-August that the school switched for two weeks to all-remote instruction, ordered students to stay in their residences and threatened to send violators home.

Last month, an outbreak on the football team left dozens of players infected or sidelined in quarantine and prompted Notre Dame to postpone a game that had been scheduled for Sept. 26, the day Jenkins went to the White House.

In his message last week, Jenkins — who faced criticism from conservatives in 2009 for inviting President Barack Obama to deliver the commencement address — said he felt compelled to attend “to support a faculty colleague and alumna of Notre Dame who is greatly respected by academic and judicial peers, revered by her students and cherished by her friends.”

When he arrived at the White House, Jenkins said, he was given a rapid-results nasal swab test and directed to wait, masked, until negative test results cleared him. From there, he was escorted to the Rose Garden, where administration officials, supporters of Trump and friends of Barrett had gathered to cheer her nomination.

Photographs show Jenkins seated between Franklin Graham, the evangelical leader, and G. Marcus Cole, dean of the Notre Dame Law School. No one around them is wearing a mask except Cole. Following the Rose Garden event, Jenkins attended a reception in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, where photographs also show that he did not wear a mask.

Since then, a growing list of attendees have confirmed testing positive for the virus, including Trump; the first lady, Melania Trump; Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina; Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey; Kellyanne Conway, a former counselor to the president; and Greg Laurie, a California megachurch pastor.

Cole did not respond to a request for comment. At least 10 Notre Dame faculty members besides Jenkins attended the event and all except him have repeatedly tested negative for the coronavirus since returning to South Bend, according to two members of the delegation who asked that their names not be used, citing campus backlash.

The decision not to wear a mask, the faculty members said, stemmed not from politics but from a desire to politely blend in, as a guest at a cocktail party might remove a tie upon realizing everyone else was dressed in business casual. And they are regretful.

“In the light of the reactions and publicity and fallout for the university as a whole,” said one faculty member, “I do wish the whole thing had played out differently.”

On Tuesday, as the campus counted down to this weekend’s football game with Florida State — whose own president has tested positive for the virus — masks were ubiquitous. Outside the library, under the school’s famed and towering mural of Jesus Christ surrounded by apostles and scholars, jugs of hand sanitizer and socially distanced Adirondack chairs studded the lawn.

Maggie Horan, 21, and Clarissa Younkle, 22, said the school’s pandemic restrictions had scuttled their plans for spring and fall breaks.

“They have highly discouraged leaving St. Joseph County for any reason, except for pretty much a sick or dying relative,” said Horan, an international economics and political science major from Los Gatos, California.

Younkle, a biochemistry major from Green Bay, Wisconsin, noted that under campus rules, a single negative rapid test is not enough to clear an exposed student from isolation. But Jenkins, she said, “used that as justification to go to this event and contradicted the policies that we’re being held to — it’s not fair.”

Colin Whitehead, 25, a graduate student in theology from Walled Lake, Michigan, said that when his brother got married over the summer, he felt he should wear a mask, even during the wedding photos.

“But it was just so hard to keep it on when nobody was wearing one,” he said.

So did he approve of Jenkins’ conduct?

“Probably not,” he said. “But I really empathize with him.”

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — As college leaders deliberated whether to bring students back to campus, none led the charge for reopening more forcefully than the president of the University of Notre Dame.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — As college leaders deliberated whether to bring students back to campus, none led the charge for reopening more forcefully than the president of the University of Notre Dame. The Rev. John I. Jenkins, the university’s president and a 66-year-old Catholic priest with degrees in philosophy and divinity, was among the first to invite students back for dorm life, intercollegiate sports and face-to-face classes, arguing in a New York Times op-ed in May that the college had a moral obligation to not be crippled by fear. He also seemed humble about the challenge: When he forgot social distancing rules as he posed for pictures with students returning to campus in August, he issued a public apology. But all the humility in the world might not have spared Jenkins from the storm of protest he now faces over the latest news from South Bend: that he not only violated his own health rules — appearing without a mask at a White House reception last month for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a Supreme Court nominee and former Notre Dame Law School professor — but also is infected with the coronavirus himself. Students have petitioned for his resignation, angry over what they consider his hypocrisy as well as the rising tide of infections on campus. Others have reported him to a coronavirus hotline for violating his own mask mandate. The student newspaper called the affair “embarrassing” in an editorial. And the faculty senate stopped one vote short Tuesday night of considering a vote of no confidence in his leadership. “I haven’t seen people this outraged in my whole career and I’ve been here since 2001,” Eileen Hunt Botting, a political science professor, said. Neither Jenkins nor the school spokesman, Paul Browne, responded to requests for comment. “I regret my error of judgment in not wearing a mask during the ceremony and by shaking hands with a number of people in the Rose Garden,” the school president said in a statement posted last week on the Notre Dame website. “I failed to lead by example, at a time when I’ve asked everyone else in the Notre Dame community to do so.” In a follow-up email to students and faculty Friday announcing that he had tested positive for the virus, Jenkins and the school’s communications staff wrote that he had been tested after learning that “a colleague with whom he has been in regular contact” had the virus. In a Zoom meeting Tuesday night, the faculty senate voted 21-20 after raucous debate to postpone the proposed no-confidence vote while they gathered more feedback. A second motion to consider commending the president, who was not in attendance, was also postponed, overwhelmingly. Comments from faculty members distributed at the meeting included expressions of empathy for Jenkins, who is certainly not the first college president to get the virus. “Father Jenkins is already sick,” one faculty member wrote. “That is enough punishment.” But many others bristled with resentment that he visited Washington when their own travel has been forbidden. “I have not seen my aging parents in over a year,” one faculty member said. Others said they had canceled research trips and vacations. One had missed the birth of a first grandchild. In an interview, Hunt Botting, who is not a member of the faculty senate, said Jenkins had not only failed to practice what he preached, but also opened Notre Dame’s reputation to political exploitation by seeming to endorse both President Donald Trump’s court nomination and his resistance to face masks. “This calls into question not only his ability to carry out rules he imposed on faculty, staff and students but also his ability to steer clear of overtly politicized events such as the one at the Rose Garden,” she said. A petition calling for Jenkins’ resignation and signed by more than 200 students was rejected last week by the student government. But Ashton Weber, a 20-year-old economics major who drafted the petition, said she planned to revive and circulate it among faculty, staff and parents. “I do recognize that having a professor and alumna nominated to the highest court in the United States is a really big honor, but there’s completely a double standard,” Weber said. “Students have been dismissed for this type of thing.” About 770 Notre Dame students on the 12,700-student campus have tested positive for the virus this semester, according to the campus dashboard. An internal federal government report from last month showed surrounding St. Joseph County as being a major coronavirus hot spot, citing returning Notre Dame students as a possible source of community infection. Notre Dame required students returning to campus to be tested for the coronavirus before the start of the semester in early August, and then to make themselves available along with faculty and staff for random surveillance testing, regardless of symptoms. Athletes were also tested regularly under NCAA rules. Masks have been mandatory on campus, indoors and outdoors. But the university’s health protocols still fell short of the rigorous testing, tracing and isolation standards recommended by experts. Many students also found the rules imposed by Notre Dame unsustainable. Cases surged so steeply in mid-August that the school switched for two weeks to all-remote instruction, ordered students to stay in their residences and threatened to send violators home. Last month, an outbreak on the football team left dozens of players infected or sidelined in quarantine and prompted Notre Dame to postpone a game that had been scheduled for Sept. 26, the day Jenkins went to the White House. In his message last week, Jenkins — who faced criticism from conservatives in 2009 for inviting President Barack Obama to deliver the commencement address — said he felt compelled to attend “to support a faculty colleague and alumna of Notre Dame who is greatly respected by academic and judicial peers, revered by her students and cherished by her friends.” When he arrived at the White House, Jenkins said, he was given a rapid-results nasal swab test and directed to wait, masked, until negative test results cleared him. From there, he was escorted to the Rose Garden, where administration officials, supporters of Trump and friends of Barrett had gathered to cheer her nomination. Photographs show Jenkins seated between Franklin Graham, the evangelical leader, and G. Marcus Cole, dean of the Notre Dame Law School. No one around them is wearing a mask except Cole. Following the Rose Garden event, Jenkins attended a reception in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, where photographs also show that he did not wear a mask. Since then, a growing list of attendees have confirmed testing positive for the virus, including Trump; the first lady, Melania Trump; Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Thom Tillis of North Carolina; Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey; Kellyanne Conway, a former counselor to the president; and Greg Laurie, a California megachurch pastor. Cole did not respond to a request for comment. At least 10 Notre Dame faculty members besides Jenkins attended the event and all except him have repeatedly tested negative for the coronavirus since returning to South Bend, according to two members of the delegation who asked that their names not be used, citing campus backlash. The decision not to wear a mask, the faculty members said, stemmed not from politics but from a desire to politely blend in, as a guest at a cocktail party might remove a tie upon realizing everyone else was dressed in business casual. And they are regretful. “In the light of the reactions and publicity and fallout for the university as a whole,” said one faculty member, “I do wish the whole thing had played out differently.” On Tuesday, as the campus counted down to this weekend’s football game with Florida State — whose own president has tested positive for the virus — masks were ubiquitous. Outside the library, under the school’s famed and towering mural of Jesus Christ surrounded by apostles and scholars, jugs of hand sanitizer and socially distanced Adirondack chairs studded the lawn. Maggie Horan, 21, and Clarissa Younkle, 22, said the school’s pandemic restrictions had scuttled their plans for spring and fall breaks. “They have highly discouraged leaving St. Joseph County for any reason, except for pretty much a sick or dying relative,” said Horan, an international economics and political science major from Los Gatos, California. Younkle, a biochemistry major from Green Bay, Wisconsin, noted that under campus rules, a single negative rapid test is not enough to clear an exposed student from isolation. But Jenkins, she said, “used that as justification to go to this event and contradicted the policies that we’re being held to — it’s not fair.” Colin Whitehead, 25, a graduate student in theology from Walled Lake, Michigan, said that when his brother got married over the summer, he felt he should wear a mask, even during the wedding photos. “But it was just so hard to keep it on when nobody was wearing one,” he said. So did he approve of Jenkins’ conduct? “Probably not,” he said. “But I really empathize with him.”

Notre Dame’s president faces an angry campus after getting the coronavirus

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Notre Dame’s president faces an angry campus after getting the coronavirus