Overview
- Koval entered the NCAA transfer portal and is immediately eligible to play after the NCAA approved a legislative relief waiver.
- She left LSU in late August and publicly confirmed on Sept. 2 that the team’s Aug. 14 signing of 17-year-old Russian center Anna Minaeva prompted her decision.
- LSU coach Kim Mulkey says she discussed Minaeva with Koval before the signing and rejected using nationality as a recruiting criterion.
- The NCAA approved Koval’s waiver on Sept. 8, a decision that prevents her from losing a year of eligibility but leaves her options limited because many rosters and practices are already set.
- The case highlights how the NCAA can grant out-of-window waivers for exigent, non-athletic circumstances and could shape how schools and the governing body handle future recruitments tied to international conflict.