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Gavrilova under fire
NCAA investigates eligiblilty of UMD star women’s hockey player.
BY SARAH DOTY
STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
ISSUE: 78/20
UMD Athletics
After missing the past four games due to illness, a NCAA investigation will keep Bulldog hockey player Iya Gavrilova off the ice indefinitely. In an e-mail statement obtained by the Statesman, Bob Nygaard, UMD Communications director for the department of Intercollegiate Athletics, stated, “The University of Minnesota Duluth athletic department is working cooperatively with the NCAA to resolve question of eligibility for Gavrilova, a member of the Bulldog women’s hockey team.
“An investigation by UMD and the NCAA is currently underway. UMD cannot comment on current, pending or potential investigations. UMD is withholding Ms. Gavrilova from further competition pending the results of investigation.”
Gavrilova, who came to UMD from Kraznoyarsk, Russia, is currently tied with Haley Irwin leading the Dogs this season in scoring with 41 goals each, according to the UMD Web site.
However, the freshman forward has more than just 41 goals to show for this season. She currently ranks first in overall scoring leaders for 2007-2008 with 1.58 points per game, according to WCHA.com, and has received three conference awards. The most recent, the WCHA Rookie of the Week, was awarded to Gavrilova at the end of January, according to the UMD Web site. Other awards include the offensive honor on Jan. 3, and the weekly rookie honor on Dec. 4, according to the UMD Web site.
According to the NCAA Web site, an investigation is initiated only if the enforcement staff has “reasonable cause to believe that the institution may have violated NCAA rules.” NCAA investigations, according to the Web site, will be conducted “for a reasonable period of time to determine whether adequate information exists indicating that major violations of NCAA legislation occurred.” Before coming to UMD, Gavrilova was a member of Team Russia for the 2006 Olympics in Turin. She also participated in the IIHF World Championships in Winnipeg, Canada during 2007, where she ranked fifth in goals, according to the Web site. Gavrilova also skated with the Moscow Torandoes and the Moscow Skif.
The Bulldog’s women’s hockey team has had an impressive season of their own. They just recently ended a nation-best and record-breaking 16-game-winning streak, with a loss to Wisconsin. Currently the Dog’s are ranked second in the NCAA 2008 Division I Women’s Hockey Ratings Percentage Index, with a record of 24-3-1, according to NCAA.com.
Gavrilova is majoring in exercise science.
