LIU Softball Hit with NCAA Penalties Day After Clinching NEC Title

The Sharks have to vacate four seasons worth of records.

LIU Softball was hit was penalties following a major infractions case. | LIU Athletics

A day after clinching its second consecutive NEC regular season title, the Long Island University softball program was hit with penalties following an NCAA major infractions case.

The case was centered around improper certifications that occurred over four years and involved nearly every sports on campus as baseball, men's basketball, men's cross country, men's fencing, men's golf, men's ice hockey, men's lacrose, men's soccer, men's swimming and diving, men's tennis, men's indoor track, men's outdoor track, men's volleyball, men's water polo, men's wrestling, women's basketball, women's bowling, women's cross country, women's equestirian, women's fencing, women's gymnastics, women's ice hockey, women's lacrossse, women's rowing, women's rugby, women's soccer, women's swimming and diving, women's tennis, women's indoor track, women's outdoor track, women's volleyball, and women's water polo were all hit with penalties.

The years under investigation are the 2020-21 through 2023-24 academic years.

The school was found to have failed to monitor its eligibility certification process after LIU-Brooklyn merged with LIU-Post, a Division II school. As a result, initial eligibility certifications for 240 student-athletes were not completed before they practiced.

Per the report, "176 competed impermissibly and/or received actual and necessary expenses while ineligible or not certified. An additional 658 student-athletes competed and 111 practiced without having required forms completed."

LIU took responsibility for the mishap because following the merger of the two schools, there was only one compliance staff member responsible for managing eligibility certification for 35 sports.

Despite merging, the athletics department was split with half at the Brooklyn campus and the other half at the Post campus. Because of the split, there was communication breakdown between coaches and complaince about their rosters.

The agreed-upon penalties include:

• Three years of probation, during which staff members with certification responsibilities will attend NCAA Regional Rules Seminars.
• Vacation of team and individual records in sports in which ineligible players competed over the four-year period, including baseball, football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s golf, men’s soccer, softball, men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and women’s volleyball.
• A $30,000 fine, plus 3% of the budgets for the four highest-budgeted sports programs involved in violations.
• A two-week ban on all recruiting activities for each sport during the first year of probation.

The softball team will have to vacate 117 wins and 87 losses, including a 2023 NCAA Tournament appearance at the Tuscaloosa Regional. The Sharks went 0-2 with losses to Alabama and Central Arkansas.

LIU has now won 14 NEC regular season championship in program history which dates back to when it was LIU-Brooklyn, LIU's 14 NEC titles are the most in NEC history.