The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association announced on Friday that Saint Augustine’s University will be suspended from all sports competitions effective immediately and lasting through the end of the 2024-25 academic year. This decision follows the university’s failure to meet necessary conference compliance requirements and ongoing challenges in fulfilling NCAA sports sponsorship and scheduling standards for the upcoming season.
The CIAA Board of Directors made this decision after thorough deliberation, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a fair and equitable environment for all member institutions. “While it is disheartening to make a decision of this magnitude that impacts one of our member institutions, the decision was guided through a fair, deliberate, and thoughtful process in efforts to determine what was best for the conference while also protecting the wellbeing and holistic experience of the student-athletes,” stated Board Chair Aminta Breaux.
Due to this suspension, if Saint Augustine’s chooses to continue participating in sports during this period, those competitions will not count towards CIAA standings and seeding, and the university will not be eligible for championship participation.
The university has decided not to sponsor softball for the spring of 2024 and football and volleyball for the fall of 2024. According to CIAA standards, each DII member institution must sponsor and complete at least ten sports each academic year. SAU faces questions about its ability to fulfill these obligations for the remaining sports programs, particularly its men’s and women’s cross-country teams.
“Saint Augustine’s University has been a member of this conference for over 80 years. Their administrators, coaches, students, student-athletes, alumni, and the SAU community are important and valued as part of the CIAA legacy,” remarked CIAA Commissioner McWilliams Parker. “The CIAA will continue to support and rally around the Falcon family and President Burgess as they prepare to return for the 2025-26 season.”
