Drury University athletics has been cited by the NCAA for failing to monitor its eligibility certification program.
A report sent out by the NCAA on Thursday says that Drury’s compliance office did not correctly certify the eligibility of 50 athletes across 14 sports from the 2019-20 through 2021-22 athletic years. Those athletes competed in 284 events in the following sports: baseball, men’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s swimming, men’s soccer, men’s track and field, men’s wrestling, women’s bowling, softball, women’s swimming, women’s tennis, women’s track and field and
women’s volleyball.
Because of these violations, Drury has agreed to three years of probation for its athletic department, a $5,000 fine, and to vacate all records in which an athlete competed while ineligible.
You can view the full NCAA report on these violations by clicking here.
Drury sent a news release separate from the NCAA release on Thursday evening that says the Drury men’s swimming & diving will forfeit its 2021 Great Lakes Valley Conference championship and its 2021 NCAA-II national runner-up finish. The release says Drury will remain eligible for NCAA championships going forward and can still host regional or national championship events.
That release from the school also includes the following comments from Drury Director of Athletics Nyla Milleson.
“We discovered this issue soon after I was hired at Drury, and we immediately worked to comply with the NCAA and the GLVC to address the issues at hand,” Milleson said. “I understand the NCAA decision and we will continue to work through their guidelines to ensure this never happens again.”
KY3 Sports Director Mark Spillane spoke with Milleson on the phone Thursday evening when Milleson stated that the violations are not the fault of any Drury athletes or coaches.
The release sent out by the NCAA can be seen below.
Over three academic years, Drury improperly certified eligibility for 50 student-athletes across 14 sports, according to an agreement released by the Division II Committee on Infractions. As a result, Drury failed to monitor its eligibility certification program.
The school and enforcement staff agreed that the violations in this case occurred when the former director of compliance at the school — who felt overwhelmed by her responsibilities, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic — did not complete required eligibility checklists or check for initial eligibility and amateurism certification, as required by NCAA rules. As a result, the school did not correctly certify 50 student-athletes across 14 sports. In total, 84 violations of NCAA rules occurred, and those student-athletes competed while ineligible in 284 contests and received actual/necessary expenses while ineligible or not properly certified.
This case was processed through the negotiated resolution process. The process was used instead of a formal hearing or summary disposition because the university and enforcement staff agreed on the violations and the penalties. The Division II Committee on Infractions reviewed the case to determine whether the resolution was in the best interests of the Association and whether the agreed-upon penalties were reasonable. Negotiated resolutions may not be appealed and do not set case precedent for other infractions cases.
The enforcement staff and the university agreed on the following penalties and corrective measures:
- Three years of probation.
- A $5,000 fine.
- A vacation of all records in which the student-athlete competed while ineligible. The university must provide a written report containing the contests impacted to the NCAA media coordination and statistics staff within 14 days of the public release of the decision.
Members of the Committee on Infractions are drawn from the NCAA membership and members of the public. The committee members who reviewed this case are Jessica Chapin, athletics director at American International; David Hansburg, athletics director at Colorado School of Mines; John David Lackey, Division II Committee on Infractions chair and attorney in private practice; Richard Loosbrock, faculty athletics representative and history professor at Adams State; Leslie Schuemann, senior woman administrator/deputy commissioner at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference; and Jason Sobolik, assistant athletics director for compliance and student services at Minnesota State University Moorhead.
