NCAA Declares USD’s Noriega Out for Season

Jose Luis Noriega, the University of San Diego’s No. 1 singles player, has been banned from playing the remainder of the college season by the NCAA, according to USD Athletic Director Tom Iannacone.

“We are very disappointed,” Iannacone said. “As it stands now, he is out for the year.”

Iannacone said the university may appeal the NCAA’s decision, but not until mid-April.

Noriega had a 5-1 record before he injured his ankle during a match on Feb. 18. Two days later, USD Coach Ed Collins informed Noriega, a native of Lima, Peru, that the NCAA had declared him ineligible based on a low admission exam score that had been discovered earlier by Iannacone.

“It wasn’t anything we were trying to hide,” he said. “I uncovered it and reported it like I was supposed to.”

According to Iannacone, Noriega was admitted to USD on the basis of his high school marks and his TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) scores, but a low score on the verbal part of the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) went unnoticed by the USD administration.

Iannacone said NCAA members had given USD early indications that Noriega would be declared eligible after the inquiry, but a subcommittee of the NCAA council announced their ruling on Wednesday.