Northridge Has Reported Several NCAA Violations

The Cal State Northridge athletic program self-reported at least nine NCAA secondary violations involving six sports over the last two years, according to documents obtained by The Times.

The violations, which did not result in major sanctions, included an illegal women’s volleyball scrimmage, ineligible players in women’s cross-country and women’s soccer, illegal scouting in softball and exceeding the initial scholarship counters in football.

The material was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

The school’s football program has been the subject of an internal investigation for possible NCAA football rules violations since an anonymous letter was received by the athletic department May 19. The university declined to release the letter, citing privacy laws.

Football Coach Ron Ponciano has denied any wrongdoing involving the investigation of the football program. The results of the investigation, being conducted by an on-campus committee not including members of the athletic department, are pending.

The committee barred football coaches from their offices for 10 days to examine documents, school spokesman Larry Cox said.

“It was done so that pertinent information could be examined and protected,” Cox said.

Kathleen Heitzman, director of compliance for Northridge, said the number of secondary violations reported is not an unusually large number for a Division I school.

“I believe at a Big Sky Conference meeting last year, the associate commissioner told us to have 20 in a year is not too many,” Heitzman said. “If you have no reports, they’ll find that more suspicious.”

According to correspondence between Northridge and the NCAA:

* Two violations involve football. Ponciano exceeded by six the permitted number of 30 initial scholarship counters for the 1998-99 academic year. The Matadors will be reduced to 24 counters next season.

Ponciano between April 15 and June 5 of 1998 paid for meals in off-campus restaurants for 15 players who were on unofficial recruiting visits.

* Two violations involve softball. Coach Janet Sherman paid for the meals of 10 members of her team at an on-campus luncheon in 1998. Last March, an undisclosed member of the softball program scouted a game between Oregon and Loyola Marymount at Loyola and their expenses were paid by Northridge.

* Brian Wiesner, women’s soccer coach, allowed an ineligible player to travel with the team in 1998.

* A member of the women’s basketball program committed a violation by participating in off-campus recruiting activities during the 1997-98 season.

* The women’s volleyball team played in a scrimmage against Cal State Bakersfield in August of 1997, three days before the first allowable date of competition.

* A women competing in cross-country and track was determined to have exceeded her athletic eligibility during 1998.

* The Times reported in May of 1998 that Northridge was forced to forfeit two football victories in 1997 for using three ineligible players.

Staff writer Eric Sondheimer contributed to this story.