https://www.savannahnow.com/sports/20191118/savannah-state-has-11-sports---but-not-football---eligible-for-siac-titles-in-2019-20Savannah State has 11 sports — but not football — eligible for SIAC titles in 2019-20
By Savannah Morning News
Posted Nov 18, 2019 at 9:07 PM Updated Nov 18, 2019 at 11:39 PM
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has cleared the way for 11 of Savannah State’s 15 sports to compete for conference championships during the 2019-20 school year, according to a recent memo from Commissioner Gregory Moore sent to SSU.
For the 2019-20 season, Savannah State volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s golf, baseball, softball, women’s tennis and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field will be eligible to compete for SIAC titles.
The SIAC does not include women’s golf, and men’s and women’s indoor track and field. SSU fields teams in those sports.
“Please be advised that Savannah State University will be eligible to compete in the SIAC Championship events as they continue the process of transitioning into the NCAA Division II,” Moore said in the Nov. 7 memo. “However, in light of the fact that SSU will not be eligible to participate in the NCAA Division II Championships until they are accorded full membership into Division II, as a consequence, SSU will not be eligible to receive the SIAC’s automatic qualification (“AQ”) to compete in the NCAA post-season championship event.”
SSU’s football team was the only sport specifically not cleared to compete for a conference title.
As the school has been in transition from NCAA Division I after the 2018-19 school year, Savannah State is not eligible to compete for NCAA Division II championships until the regulating body clears SSU and affords full membership.
“SSU football team will not however be eligible to compete in the 2019 SIAC Football Championship,” Moore continued in the memo.
“This decision earlier in the year was rooted in an effort to mitigate the risk to a SIAC member school eligible to participate in the NCAA Division II football post-season play of being disadvantaged by not participating in the SIAC Football Championship the final week of the regular season.”
The Tigers, under first-year head coach Shawn Quinn, claimed the SIAC East Division regular-season title in 2019 with a 5-0 record in the league and a 7-3 mark overall.
A preseason internal vote by the conference, however, led to the decision by the SIAC to declare SSU ineligible for this year’s SIAC Football Championship. West Division champ Miles College (9-2, 5-1) won the league title last week, 21-6 over East representative Albany State. Miles is a 7-seed in this weekend’s opening round of the NCAA DII Football Championship.
SIAC communications officials did not respond to phone calls and text messages last week asking about the policy preventing SSU from representing the East in the 2019 football championship game. Several emails from the Savannah Morning News requesting an interview with Moore received no replies.
“We’re very excited be back home in the SIAC — a conference we have a long history with,” Savannah State Director of Athletics Opio Mashariki said in an SSU press release on Monday, Nov. 18. “We would like to thank the SIAC for allowing us the chance to compete for a conference title in the majority of our sports this year.
“We look forward to a long and successful era of competition within our new conference and division,” Mashariki continued. “We have made major strides internally as an administration to strengthen our core so every Savannah State team has the opportunity to be successful in the classroom and on the field.”
Men’s and women’s cross country was the first of the school’s sports to compete in an SIAC championship this year. Both teams finished third overall.
Five SSU runners were selected to the all-conference team and were honored during the 2019 SIAC championship meet.
SSU volleyball finished its regular season ranked fourth in the East, earning a championship berth.
The SIAC volleyball championship is Monday through Wednesday in Spartanburg, S.C. SSU lost to Spring Hill 3-0 before beating Central State 3-2 on Monday night to advance to the semifinals Tuesday.
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