Sister Jean to travel to Loyola’s opening NCAA Tournament game despite pandemic

Sister Jean, the elderly chaplain at Loyola University Chicago who became an internet sensation during the team’s improbable run to the Final Four three years ago, will travel to Indianapolis to watch the team play in the NCAA Tournament again this year. 

At 101 years old, Sister Jean told the Chicago Tribune she has been vaccinated against the coronavirus and looks forward to rooting her Ramblers on in person when they take on Georgia Tech on Friday. 

“I want to go so badly,” she told the newspaper. “I’m not going to run down on the court and I’m not going to cause any disturbance.” 

The NCAA is holding this year’s tournament inside of a multiple-site bubble system, with various sports arenas around the state of Indiana playing host to multiple first and second round games over the next two weeks. 

In-person attendance to most games will be extremely limited, reserved mainly for friends and family of competing teams. 

Loyola punched its ticket to the tournament this month by winning the Midwestern Valley Conference. 

During the team’s 2018 tournament run, which featured last-second victories and various upsets, Sister Jean garnered national media coverage for her sharp wit and steadfast cheering of to the team. She even helped the team cut down the nets as they went to the Final Four.