2008 Woodie Awards
Cross country coach suspended for NCAA error
By Michael Prescott
Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
NDNU Cross Country started the year off with a dominating performance, but the victory appears to have been tainted after third-year coach Jesse Torres reportedly slipped up during the first meet of the year and has been suspended for two weeks.
Torres replaced runner John Garcia for runner Adam Heredia on Sept. 8 in a meet against Humboldt State University in Arcata.
Heredia is one of the top runners for the talented NDNU program. He is a transfer from Sacramento and due to a NCAA transferring process, Heredia had not yet been cleared to participate in collegiate events.
He had intended to run unaffiliated but instead ended up running with John Garcia's bib (and identification).
The NDNU athletics website still lists Garcia as coming in fifth in the meet, but Garcia said he did not run.
Senior Garcia, who is eligible to run, was replace by the ineligible Heredia.
"Adam accidentally ran under my name against rules," Garcia said. "It's complicated."
In a cross country meet, the participants wear bibs, which have the runner's number and name on the front. Garcia said Heredia grabbed the wrong bib unintentionally.
Athletic Director Josh Doody reportedly suspended Torres for two weeks, effective Sept. 24. Doody did not answer The Argonaut's call's Tuesday.
"We are investing the situation as a possible NCAA rules violation,"said Assistant Athletic Director Jessica Mazeau.
When asked about what is going to potentially happen to the Torres, she said, "No comment."
Torres replaced runner John Garcia for runner Adam Heredia on Sept. 8 in a meet against Humboldt State University in Arcata.
Heredia is one of the top runners for the talented NDNU program. He is a transfer from Sacramento and due to a NCAA transferring process, Heredia had not yet been cleared to participate in collegiate events.
He had intended to run unaffiliated but instead ended up running with John Garcia's bib (and identification).
The NDNU athletics website still lists Garcia as coming in fifth in the meet, but Garcia said he did not run.
Senior Garcia, who is eligible to run, was replace by the ineligible Heredia.
"Adam accidentally ran under my name against rules," Garcia said. "It's complicated."
In a cross country meet, the participants wear bibs, which have the runner's number and name on the front. Garcia said Heredia grabbed the wrong bib unintentionally.
Athletic Director Josh Doody reportedly suspended Torres for two weeks, effective Sept. 24. Doody did not answer The Argonaut's call's Tuesday.
"We are investing the situation as a possible NCAA rules violation,"said Assistant Athletic Director Jessica Mazeau.
When asked about what is going to potentially happen to the Torres, she said, "No comment."
Viewing Comments 1 - 7 of 8
ENRIQUE HERNANDEZ
posted 9/28/07 @ 7:32 AM PST
Errors due happen. Especially if the runner grabbed the bib# right before the start. It has happend countless of times, at least once for ever runner. (Continued…)
Sl
posted 9/28/07 @ 11:30 AM PST
Umm... yea, right. Busted is more like it.
Coach
posted 9/28/07 @ 12:01 PM PST
Errors due happen? No, errors do happen, but not at all like this. No way does running an ineligible athlete "just happen."
College coaches and athletes should be able to read. (Continued…)
Francisco Rubalcava
posted 9/28/07 @ 12:37 PM PST
I am a former collegiate runner and currently coach cross country part/time as an assistant boys coach. I feel that this error against Coach Jesse Torres is completley absurd because wrong bib number exchanges happen all the time especially before the start of a race. (Continued…)
Coach
posted 9/28/07 @ 1:07 PM PST
If this was a mistake, it could have been cleared up and corrected (self reported) as soon as the results were printed up, before anyone left the meet, and there would not have been any problem. (Continued…)
runninggal
posted 9/29/07 @ 8:01 AM PST
I find it very unlikely that this coach didn't know that his star transfer runner was not yet eligible to compete. Torres may be a man of integrity who used poor judgement in this situation. (Continued…)
Moses Castillo
posted 9/29/07 @ 11:08 AM PST
I have information to prove this was not accidential, but a "thought-out preplanned" act by Coach Torres and I welcome any officials investigating this incident to contact me via email. (Continued…)
Post a Comment