Eagles Forfeit Wins
Player Faked Class Schedule
Posted: February 27, 2013
HARRISONBURG — The Bridgewater College men’s basketball team will vacate four wins after the school discovered that a player was not enrolled in classes for the spring semester and therefore played while ineligible, BC announced Tuesday.
The name of the player was not disclosed.
According to BC spokeswoman Abbie Parkhurst, the player reported a phony schedule for the spring semester to coach Don Burgess. The player even attended team study halls, “leaving the inaccurate impression that he was a registered and attending student at the college for the spring semester classes,” according to a BC release.
Parkhurst said BC discovered Thursday that the player wasn’t enrolled for classes when a registrar saw his name mentioned as playing in a game and remembered he hadn’t registered. BC has self-reported the violation to the NCAA and is vacating the wins on its own accord.
As a result, the Eagles will forfeit all four of their wins since spring semester classes began Jan. 29, reducing their final record for 2012-13 from 14-12 to 10-16. The wins vacated were against Washington & Lee on Jan. 30 (67-66 in double overtime), Roanoke on Feb. 2 (75-73), Shenandoah on Feb. 6 (70-61) and Guilford on Feb. 16 (78-75).
“More than anything, we just feel for the players, because we had a winning season, and now we don’t,” Parkhurst said.
Burgess and BC athletic director Curt Kendall declined to comment Tuesday.
Parkhurst said the school confirms full-time enrollment for all athletes at the beginning of each sports season, so the player was enrolled in the fall semester when basketball season started. But enrollment is not confirmed for winter sports athletes when the spring semester starts; the athletes instead self-report their spring schedule to their coaches.
As a result of this infraction, Parkhurst said the school will start re-checking enrollment for spring classes.
“We learned a lesson, and we’re fixing everything and moving on,” Parkhurst said.
The name of the player was not disclosed.
According to BC spokeswoman Abbie Parkhurst, the player reported a phony schedule for the spring semester to coach Don Burgess. The player even attended team study halls, “leaving the inaccurate impression that he was a registered and attending student at the college for the spring semester classes,” according to a BC release.
Parkhurst said BC discovered Thursday that the player wasn’t enrolled for classes when a registrar saw his name mentioned as playing in a game and remembered he hadn’t registered. BC has self-reported the violation to the NCAA and is vacating the wins on its own accord.
As a result, the Eagles will forfeit all four of their wins since spring semester classes began Jan. 29, reducing their final record for 2012-13 from 14-12 to 10-16. The wins vacated were against Washington & Lee on Jan. 30 (67-66 in double overtime), Roanoke on Feb. 2 (75-73), Shenandoah on Feb. 6 (70-61) and Guilford on Feb. 16 (78-75).
“More than anything, we just feel for the players, because we had a winning season, and now we don’t,” Parkhurst said.
Burgess and BC athletic director Curt Kendall declined to comment Tuesday.
Parkhurst said the school confirms full-time enrollment for all athletes at the beginning of each sports season, so the player was enrolled in the fall semester when basketball season started. But enrollment is not confirmed for winter sports athletes when the spring semester starts; the athletes instead self-report their spring schedule to their coaches.
As a result of this infraction, Parkhurst said the school will start re-checking enrollment for spring classes.
“We learned a lesson, and we’re fixing everything and moving on,” Parkhurst said.