Following Boston University’s decision to transfer its athletics from America East to the Patriot League, the America East has made a decision of its own.
Jenifer Barsell, BU’s associate athletic director for marketing communications, said the America East schools that will remain in the athletic conference voted to exclude BU from competing in conference championships during the 2012-13 seasons.
“Unfortunately it is [true]. America East made the decision not to allow [BU] to participate [in America East Championships],” Barsell said.
America East Director of Communications Sean Tainsh said that while BU will be ineligible for America East Championships, BU student-athletes will be eligible to receive all awards.
Four BU teams will still be able to participate in championships because they are not in America East and will remain in their respective conferences. Men’s and women’s hockey will still participate in Hockey East, men’s rowing will remain in the Eastern Association of Rowing and wrestling will remain in the Colonial Athletic Association.
However, a total of 18 teams will be excluded from conference postseason play, including four – women’s soccer, swimming and diving, women’s indoor track & field and softball -that are defending champions.
Barsell said the athletic department was not surprised by the conference’s decision due to a recent precedent set by the CAA. Georgia State University and Old Dominion University were each banned from CAA championship play in 2012-13 because of their move to new conferences in 2013-14. GSU will be leaving the CAA for the Sun Belt, whereas ODU is taking its competition to Conference USA.
While it is unconfirmed, Chris Villani of ESPN tweeted that BU may counter the decision with a lawsuit against the league to fight the sanctions.
CORRECTION: An unnamed BU athlete originally told the Daily Free Press that BU student-athletes would be ineligible to receive America East awards and accolades in 2012-13, but the statement was later corrected by the America East.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
Cheerleading & dance will be able to compete still, as they are part of the National Cheerleaders Association & National Dance Alliance. Both are a part of BU Athletics.
unnamed or anonymous? and i spy an oxford comma.
https://www.facebook.com/LetBostonUniversityCompete
This is fantastic- not only did BU make the decision to jump to a lateral conference which neither increases nor decreases our chance at becoming a significant school in NCAA Athletics, but they now have sacrificed BU’s oppurtunity of winning a championship next year. How do you expect the seniors who have worked hard for 3+ years to feel when they realize their last year is in vain- and all because BU thought it to join a conference where 80% of the schools are based in barren Pennsylvania. I don’t want to hear about how this was not only an athletic decision but also a scholastic decision- besides Lehigh none of those schools should be held in the same academic category. If we wanted to make a real significant change for our University that takes in $20 million in profit each year, has 50,000 students to support athletics, and some of the best athletic facilities in the NCAA (except Nickerson), then perhaps we should have joined a better conference athletically that is also stronger in academics- all the bigger conferences have stronger schools in both categories- ACC, Big East, and Big 10. I don’t get how a school of BU’s size, with the amount of funding, and the facilities is joining an even smaller school conference than the pathetic America East. As an alumnist, please BU, give me something to cheer about…