NCAA gives Miami probation for violation
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami was placed on probation for one year on Friday after the school and the NCAA said women’s basketball coaches inadvertently helped arrange impermissible contact between a booster and two players who signed with the Hurricanes.
It’s first time the NCAA has announced a penalty related to an investigation into name, image and likeness deals – NIL, as they are called.
The NCAA probed the actions of booster John Ruiz, who has signed several Miami athletes to NIL deals. Among them are women’s basketball players Haley
and Hanna Cavinder, who transferred to Miami after meeting with Ruiz – though the Cavinders told the NCAA the meeting had nothing to do with their decision to play for the Hurricanes.
The NCAA and Miami worked through a “negotiated resolution” to end the saga, but the NCAA wanted the Hurricanes to agree to more sanctions than what were ultimately handed down – saying it was “troubled” by “the absence of a disassociation of the involved booster.” The NCAA said the violation stemmed from Miami coach Katie Meier having helped facilitate a meeting between the Cavinders and Ruiz, unaware that he was a booster.
“Boosters are involved with prospects and student-athletes in ways the NCAA membership has never seen or encountered,” the NCAA said. “In that way, addressing impermissible booster conduct is critical, and the disassociation penalty presents an effective penalty available to the (committee on infractions).”
Meier will not have to miss any more games; she served a three-game suspension to start the season in anticipation of the NCAA’S ruling.
The NCAA never named Ruiz in its ruling Friday, but referenced an April 13 tweet posted by a booster
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Following two losses on Thursday to open its season against Pinnacle (6-3) and Willow Canyon (10-1), Cibola softball got in the win column on Friday, taking down Highland 8-5 at the Lion Country Classic hosted by Red Mountain.
The Raiders came out of the gate quick, propelled by an RBI single by junior catcher Alana Mcdonell. Later in the inning, senior starting pitcher Maleia Padilla
smacked a two-run shot to give Cibola a three-run lead.
Highland struck back against Padilla over the next three innings, tying the game at three runs apiece in the bottom of the third. The Raiders pounced on another opportunity in the fourth, scoring four runs, three of them on a three-run shot over the fence off the bat of senior Stephanie Cortazar, who oddly enough was the other pitcher for the Raiders in relief of Padilla.
The Raiders held off the Hawks in the final frames
scoring one more in the fifth for an 8-6 win in which both Raiders’ pitchers delivered five of the eight runs on offense in a two-way showcase.
“We needed that,” Cibola head coach Shelly Baumann said. “After taking those two losses on Thursday we played well. We played good defense and those home runs really helped us out. We did a nice job to keep chipping away and stay out in front.
Cibola plays Queen Creek in the final game of the tournament on Saturday morning.