The NCAA announced Tuesday that it is imposing sanctions on
UCSB’s cross-country, track, and men’s water polo programs because of “multiple
Level II violations of well-known NCAA rules.”
The NCAA Committee on Infractions alleged that water polo players
in previous years received impermissible extra benefits, including excessive
stipends for two players who performed work for a water polo club. The
violations in cross-country and track involved “countable athletically related
activity restrictions,” in the NCAA’s parlance. Former coach Pete Dolan was
accused of logging the mileage of Sunday and summer workouts when directed
athletic activity was forbidden.
The NCAA issued a smorgasbord of penalties against the water
polo and cross-country/track programs. They included two years of probation, a
one percent reduction of their budgets, scholarship reductions of 5 to 7.5
percent, and reductions in allowable official and unofficial visits by
potential recruits.