The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) released its findings on an infractions case involving the fencing, women’s golf, and women’s basketball programs at Ohio State University.
Ohio State initially reported violations with the fencing program in August 2018, and during the investigation with the NCAA that followed, violations were found in the other programs.
The violations occurred between 2015 and 2019 and result in the Department of Athletics being placed on four years probation and fined $5,000.
Additional penalties include vacating team wins and championships and individual records for affected student-athletes, and 10-year show-cause penalties for the former head fencing coach and former associate head women’s basketball coach.
The violations include:
- Ineligible participation as a result of multiple recruiting and extra benefit violations in women’s basketball and fencing
- The fencing program exceeding its maximum allowable countable coaches
- Head coach responsibility violation and ethical conduct violation for the former head fencing coach
- A head coach responsibility violation for the former director of golf
Wins and championships for the fencing and women’s basketball programs that will be vacated, and additional penalties, include the following:
- Women’s basketball Big Ten championships in 2017 and 2018
- The 2018 Big Ten tournament championship in women’s basketball
- 52 women’s basketball wins (10 in 2016-17; 28 in 2017-18; 14 in 2018-19)
- Midwest Fencing Conference championships in 2016, 2017 and 2018
- NCAA fencing championship runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2017 and an NCAA third-place finish in 2018
- A 3-percent budget reduction in 2022-23 for the fencing program and 1-percent reductions for women’s golf and women’s basketball
- Scholarship and recruiting restrictions for the fencing program
The public report can be found here.
