UMD News

Director of Public Relations:
Susan Beasy Latto, slatto@d.umn.edu
315 Darland Administration Bldg.
1049 University Drive
Duluth, MN 55812
(218) 726-8830 Cell: (218) 348-5688
Fax: (218) 726-7413

March 31, 2009

Contact:
Susan Beasy Latto, Director, UMD Public Relations 218 726-8830 slatto@d.umn.edu

The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) announced today that the NCAA and UMD have concluded the formal investigation of by-law violations concerning a former UMD women's hockey student athlete.

The violations occurred when the student athlete competed during a portion of the 2007-08 regular season while ineligible, because she had previously participated on teams later deemed to be professional by NCAA rules. Prior to the investigation, UMD and the student athlete were unaware of the status of those teams.

It was also determined that an additional violation occurred when a former UMD student athlete was involved in the recruiting process, contrary to NCAA by-laws.

All violations were determined by the NCAA to be secondary violations.

This investigation began when the University was alerted in January 2008 to a concern regarding the student athlete's eligibility. UMD immediately contacted the NCAA about the issue, and worked cooperatively with the NCAA in its investigation over the past year.

Agreed Upon Actions to be Taken by UMD:

• Declare the student athlete permanently ineligible.
• Vacate all regular season games during the 2007-08 season in which the ineligible student athlete played, and vacate the 2008 WCHA regular season conference title. UMD will retain the 2008 WCHA Tournament Championship and the NCAA Championship titles.
• Implement a revised procedure to evaluate eligibility of all prospective student athletes. Beginning with the 2008-09 academic year, all prospective international student athletes (and any prospective student athletes who did not matriculate at a two or four year institution immediately after high school graduation) will complete two institutional forms disclosing all teams on which they have participated since graduation or while in high school, if teams were not directly sponsored by their high school.
• The institution is required to preclude the women's ice hockey coaching staff from engaging in any on-or-off-campus recruiting activities for a period of two weeks.
• The violations will be discussed at further UMD coaches' meetings, and each fall a coaches' meeting will be dedicated to the review of the amateurism process.
• UMD is required to engage in a compliance review per NCAA Division I by-law 20.4.4 by August 1, 2009.

This matter has been formally reviewed by the NCAA and the WCHA. Consistent with its obligations as an NCAA and WCHA member, UMD is committed to maintaining full compliance with all NCAA and WCHA rules and regulations.

This matter is now officially concluded.