Suffolk CC's appeal of 8 forfeits denied

Suffolk County Community College's men's soccer team, which had to forfeit eight victories this season because of an academically ineligible player, had its appeal denied Wednesday by the National Junior College Athletic Association. With the ruling, the defending Division III national champion's season is over.

Suffolk was 10-0 before the forfeits were imposed Oct. 6 after an audit of athletic transcripts by the NJCAA. The Suffolk player, who was not identified by the school or JUCO officials, played in eight games for the Selden-based program. Suffolk finished 5-8 and out of contention for this weekend's Region 15 tournament.

"While we accept the NJCAA's decision, we are very disappointed in its ruling," Mary Lou Araneo, vice president for institutional advancement at Suffolk, said in a statement.

"Both the student-athlete and the college believed that all the actions taken were appropriate and well within the guidelines put forth by the NJCAA . . . Moving forward, the college will implement additional professional development training for our athletic department staff that reviews and makes eligibility and compliance decisions. The college stands by the honesty and integrity of our student-athletes and our athletic programs."

Suffolk's appeal was heard by the executive committee of the NJCAA. The committee does not discuss its decisions. "In most cases it's pretty cut-and- dry," NJCAA assistant executive director Mark Krug said. "Our rules are not like the NCAA, where we [would] be given latitude to make a case-by-case ruling. It's usually pretty black and white."