Thursday, 5/8/97 Postseason may still be in reach Financial aid
mishandling will haunt UCLA for years to come
By Melissa Anderson Daily Bruin Staff Less than 24 hours after
the NCAA Committee on Infractions put an early end to the
postseason hopes of the UCLA softball team, the Bruins may have
been granted a second chance. UCLA decided Wednesday to appeal the
committee’s decision to prohibit the team from participating in the
1997 College World Series because of financial aid violations. The
appeal will allow the team to be able to take part in the
championship tournament, which begins in just over a week. "It is
our opinion, given the fact that no student-athletes or coaches
connected with the softball program were found to have committed
any violations, it is unjustly severe to penalize the
student-athletes and coaches currently in the program," UCLA
Athletic Director Peter Dalis said in a statement. The NCAA appeals
process is structured so that if an appeal of a penalty is filed,
the penalty will not be imposed until after the appeal has been
considered and decided upon by the NCAA Appeals Committee. The UCLA
Athletic Department is expected to file the appeal by Thursday
afternoon, but the case will not be heard until sometime this
summer. "I think it’s good we’re appealing it because it won’t take
away our current season," junior designated player Kim Wuest said.
"If we had known before this season (that we would be excluded from
the postseason), other things could’ve taken place and we at least
would have been prepared." If the appeal is denied, the penalty
will be imposed next season and the Bruins will be ineligible for
the postseason in 1998. While that would be a disappointment for
the returning players, it would at least give the team a chance to
prepare mentally for the penalty. "We had been led to believe that
this would not happen," UCLA head coach Sue Enquist said. "It’s
devastating and it’s shocking. My sadness lies in a group of
individuals (who) had nothing to do with the violations. "There is
not one student-athlete or staff member (who) was involved in the
alleged violations. When the softball program was exonerated, I
thought that it would not impact the kids … It’s so difficult to
look at people on this team and know that their (postseason
careers) may be over this year." That could be the case for juniors
Wuest and Laurie Fritz if the appeal is denied. According to NCAA
rules, there is a possibility that the players could redshirt and
use their final year of eligibility for the 1998-99 season. It may
also be possible for them to transfer to another Division I school
to finish out their careers, though Enquist would not comment on
either option. For this year’s seniors, however, the appeal means a
chance to finish out their careers with a shot at a national title.
While the team slipped to No. 5 in the national poll this week,
UCLA is still considered a legitimate threat to win the crown. But
that does not take away the sting of the Committee on Infractions’
ruling. "I’m excited about going (to the postseason), but I am
still upset," senior first baseman Alleah Poulson said. "The past
24 hours have been hell. As a senior, I don’t have to worry about
(the possibility of missing the tournament next year), but I still
feel bad." UCLA will not appeal any other portion of the penalties,
so the Bruins will vacate their 1995 NCAA title in addition to the
other penalties handed down by the committee because of financial
aid violations during the 1993-94 and 1995-96 academic years.