NCAA Violations Force Drury to Vacate 2021 NCAA D2 Runner-Up Finish
Drury University was penalized on Thursday for NCAA infractions that, among other penalties, require vacating its runner-up trophy from the 2021 Division II Men’s Championships.
Drury’s penalties stemmed from, “he institution improperly certifying 50 student-athletes in 14 sports as eligible for competition between the 2019-20 and 2021-22 academic years,” per a university release. The violations occurred before current director of athletics Nyla Milleson took the helm in February of 2022.
Drury’s punishment includes:
- Three years of probation, starting in 2023-24
- A $50,000 fine
- Vacating wins and records accomplished with ineligible student-athletes, including the 2021 Great Lakes Valley Conference swimming championship and the 2021 NCAA Division II National Runner-Up
As part of the punishment, Drury remains eligible for the NCAA championships going forward and to host regional or national NCAA events.
“We take full responsibility for all errors that led to these penalties, and I deeply apologize to our students whose athletic legacies have been impacted by this situation,” Drury President John Beuerlein said in a university statement. “The Drury Athletics Department leadership addressed this issue the moment it was uncovered, and I applaud their swift action. While this was a product of omission rather than commission, as an institution, we will continue to hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards of excellence and integrity.”
“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.”
.jpg "NCAA Division II Coverage - logo"){kind=logo}