A Massachusetts high school's swimming and diving teams will be forced to forfeit all of the meets they competed in this winter after three swimmers on the team were declared ineligible.
According to the Milford Daily News, three eight graders competed for Ashland High School this season but were declared ineligible because the proper waiver for them to participate at the high school level was not filled out on time.
AÂ Massachusetts high school's swimming and diving teams will be forced to forfeit all of the meets they competed in this winter after three swimmers on the team were declared ineligible.Â
According to the Milford Daily News, three eight graders competed for Ashland High School this season but were declared ineligible because the proper waiver for them to participate at the high school level was not filled out on time.Â
"I want to be clear that this is not the fault of the student-athletes or their families. The responsibility for this error lies entirely with me as your athletic director," Kevin Anderson wrote in the email to the Daily News. "I take the responsibility of this role extremely seriously, and the fact that I let this happen is something I deeply regret."
The three eighth graders will not be able to compete for the final two meets of the regular season or in the postseason. Anderson contacted the MIAA to try and find a solution but was told the association's decision is final, he wrote in an email to the Daily News.
"Our student-athletes and families put an incredible amount of time, energy, and heart into this program, and I am devastated that my mistake has impacted their season in this way," Anderson wrote in his initial email.
"Please know that I am actively working to ensure a mistake like this will never happen again," Anderson wrote. "I will be implementing additional checks and procedures to ensure that all eligibility requirements are completed and verified in a timely manner moving forward."
