UCLA softball placed on probation, must forfeit 1995 NCAA title trophy

The school must return the trophy, but the championship will not be given to Arizona. The record books will show that the title is vacant.

The NCAA committee of infractions also required that a senior associate director of athletics be removed - which UCLA carried out last year - and softball scholarshipsto be limited for the next two years.

The sanctions mean that the entire athletic program is on probation for three years. The probation only affects softball, but all other sports, including basketball and football, will be closely monitored during that period.

Betsy Stephenson, who was hired last summer as UCLA's senior woman administrator-associate athletic director, said she was surprised the current UCLA softball team was barred from the NCAA tournament.

Stephenson said members of the softball team, ranked fourth in the country, were ''devastated.''

''... I informed them of the penalties, at that point, the student-athletes were devastated, and extremely frustrated that they had been told this year would not be impacted,'' Stephenson said. ''When that rug is pulled out from under you, you'd be devastated.''

The violations involved listing some softball players as multi-sport athletes receiving soccer scholarships, although they did not compete in soccer.

UCLA officials have 15 days to appeal, but if the school hopes to play in this year's NCAA tournament, obviously an appeal must be made this week in that regard.

In 1995, the softball team, led by Tanya Harding, won the NCAA title. Harding was the winning pitcher in all four victories by the Bruins in the national tournament.

Harding did not become a student until the 1995 season, and did not complete that semester's work - returning home to join her native Australia's Olympic softball team.