Winston-Salem State's transition to Division I has hit a speed bump.
The NCAA has ruled that WSSU didn't satisfy a bylaw that requires minimum scholarship requirements for the men's tennis and men's and women's track teams.
Because of the infraction, WSSU must repeat the second year of its reclassification during the current academic year.
That could delay by a year its full accreditation as a Division I school, according to Athletics Director Chico Caldwell.
WSSU started the move to Division I in 2005 and is hoping to be a full Division I member by March 2010 so that it can play in the 2010 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball tournaments in Winston-Salem. A spokeswoman with the NCAA said yesterday that for now, WSSU's timetable for full accreditation has been moved to March 2011. Caldwell said that the MEAC and WSSU will appeal the decision.
The MEAC basketball tournaments are scheduled to be played at Joel Coliseum for three seasons, starting in 2009. If the NCAA ruling stands, WSSU wouldn't be eligible for the tournaments until 2011.
Caldwell said: "We are very disappointed in this ruling by the NCAA and are currently considering all of our options to ensure we continue moving ahead with our transition." In the same statement, second-year chancellor Donald Reaves said: "We are continuing on the path to Division I as planned."
Caldwell said that a misunderstanding of the rules about awarding athletics scholarships brought on the NCAA review. Several athletes that WSSU signed in tennis and track did not enroll or left school in mid-semester, and their scholarships were not given to others, as they should have been under NCAA rules.
"The NCAA Division I Management Council Membership Subcommittee considers this an under-awarding of athletic scholarships," Caldwell said. "This is the unfortunate situation we find ourselves in."
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or at jdell@wsjournal.com.
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