REPORT OF THE
DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS
COMMITTEE
1. ACTION ITEMS.
a.
Sports Committee Recommendation (Men’s and
Women’s Soccer).
(1)
Recommendation. Create a
consistent formula for the men’s and women’s soccer championships, effective
beginning in 2002, such that the semifinals and finals be conducted each year
the Friday/Saturday or Saturday/Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. Further, direct the soccer committees to
study the desirability of conducting the championships at pre-determined sites.
(2)
Rationale. The Championships
Committee and Men’s and Women’s Soccer Committees were asked by the Management
Council during its April meeting to review again future dates for the
respective championships. As a result,
the membership was presented with three options regarding its preference for
when the championships could be conducted.
Survey responses indicated that when all options were considered, the
weekend before Thanksgiving was selected by 48 percent of the respondents as
their first choice, while 52 percent of respondents selected either
Thanksgiving weekend or eliminating Thanksgiving weekend but conducting the
semifinals and finals the following weekend.
When the data was analyzed with only two options considered,
Thanksgiving weekend was preferred by 51 percent. Thanksgiving weekend was preferred definitively by both coaching
communities. Institutions bidding to
host the men’s championship, currently conducted during Thanksgiving weekend,
have been plentiful. Conducting the
championship Thanksgiving weekend provides the least amount of missed class
time and a reasonable opportunity for parents and fans to attend the semifinals
and finals. Finally, conducting the
championships at a predetermined site will help minimize logistical challenges
encountered by hosts during that weekend.
(3)
Budget Impact. $0
b.
Wrestling Committee.
(1)
Recommendation. Deny the appeal
by the Wrestling Committee to extend the term of the chair.
Rationale. While the committee appreciated the
rationale submitted by the Wrestling Committee, it believes that the consistent
application of championships policies is best accomplished by staff in that
rotation of committee members is automatic and desired by the membership.
Budget Impact. Not applicable.
(2) Recommendation. Weight issues: (a) The wrestling room temperature be changed from 75 degrees
Fahrenheit to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and (b)
That continuing student-athletes not be required to submit both a
Section I and a Section II weight certification form. The current weight certification program would remain in place
for entering freshmen and two-year college-transfer student-athletes, as is
currently the case with both the Section I and Section II Certification. It was determined that for all other
student-athletes, the first match would determine the student-athlete’s
certified weight class for the year.
Rationale. The committee supported the recommendation
in that both the Wrestling Committee and the Committee on Competitive
Safeguards and Medical Aspects of the Sport met to discuss the topic,
thoroughly reviewed the recommendations and independently approved each.
c. Committee on Competitive Safeguards and
Medical Aspects of Sports.
(1) Recommendation. Deny the recommendation to discontinue the
current practice of drug-testing announcements at NCAA championship sites.
(See Attachment.)
(2) Rationale. While the Championships Committee appreciated the goal of the
Committee on Competitive Safeguards to further deter drug use at NCAA championships,
it voted to deny the request in that drug use at Division III championships has
been extremely low with the current announcement practice. Further, the Championships Committee
believes that not announcing whether drug testing occur will unreasonably
impact the ability of coaches and administrators to appropriately accommodate
student-athletes in planning travel, schedules, etc.
(3) Budget Impact. Not applicable.
d. Football Rules Committee.
(1)
Recommendation. Deny the recommendation to delete the
current exception and require Division III institutions to have visual play
clocks on their home field, effective August 1, 2003.
(2)
Rationale. The committee believes that the equipment
request would significantly burden institutions financially. While a visual clock may be beneficial, the
committee does not believe it is germane to the conduct of the contest and
therefore may be recommended but not mandated.
(3) Budget
Impact. Not applicable.
e. Length of Playing and Practice Seasons.
(1)
Recommendation. Request that the Management Council playing
and practice seasons subcommittee review the length of playing and practice
seasons of all Division III sports to ensure that policies relative to seasons
are consistent with the Division III philosophy and in the best interest of
participating student-athletes.
(2)
Rationale. The committee believes that a thorough
review is appropriate to ensure that policies relative to seasons are
consistent with the Division III philosophy and in the best interest of
participating student-athletes.
(3)
Budget Impact. Not applicable.
f. Management Council Representation on
Championships Committee.
(1)
Recommendation. Deny the recommendation that Management
Council representatives on the Championships Committee specifically, and all
committees in general, serve as ex officio, non-voting members. Further, the committee supported the
proposal that through attrition, the number of Management Council members
serving on the Championships Committee be reduced from five to three.
(2)
Rationale. The committee believes that providing voting
privileges to all Management Council members provides a greater sense of
vestment and as a result provides for better discussion, input and
representation of the committees’ work.
The committee also believes that having Management Council members serve
as ex officio members may in some instances provide an intimidating presence
and thus limit discussion. The
committee concluded that retaining three Management Council members on the
committee would be sufficient to retain effective communication with the
Management Council.
(3)
Budget Impact. Not applicable.
g. Automatic Qualification (AQ) Principles
Recommendations.
(1) Recommendation. Delay
until further notice the recommended per diem increase from $60 to $65
effective with the 2002-03 championships (at a cost of approximately $300,000)
in order to provide funding for initiatives to further enhance the automatic
qualification principles for team and possibly individual-team sports.
Rationale: The committee supports the concept of increasing
per diem, but believes given the limited available resources for championships
initiatives, as well as feedback from the membership, increased access to
championships for student-athletes is a higher priority.
(2) Recommendation. Expand team-sport brackets, with an ultimate
access ratio goal of 1:7 (from the current 1:7.5).
Rationale: Bracket expansion has been a consistent
theme in membership feedback received by the committee.
(3) Recommendation. Place special emphasis on more access for
at-large (Pool C) participants during future bracket expansion.
Rationale: Increased access for Pool C participants was
a consistent theme in membership feedback.
Lack of Pool C berths threatens to undermine the long-term support and
effectiveness of AQ.
(4) Recommendation. Establish a minimum of two Pool C berths in
all team sports. If approved, it could
result in Pool C expansions for men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse and men’s ice
hockey during 2001-02, with Pool C expansion in other sports, including women’s
ice hockey and women’s rowing, during future years.
Budget impact. Approximately $40,000 during 2001-02, which
has received preliminary approval from the Budget Committee.
(5) Recommendation. Request that sports committees examine the
definition of a region to provide greater flexibility to institutions in
determining in-region schedules. Sports
committees will be asked to provide input on how the concept (e.g., the
established region plus a 100 mile radius; the established region plus a 50 institution
radius) might be administered.
(6) Recommendation. Clarify the selection criteria to reflect
that the language stating “in priority order” does not mean that after
reviewing the first criteria that the remaining criteria are not reviewed. Rather that all primary criteria must be
examined, and should be done in sequential order.
Rationale. The committee notes that if only the first
criteria (winning percentage, head-to-head results and results against common
opponents) are examined, without also examining the second criteria (strength
of schedule), teams with high winning percentages, without regard for strength
of schedule, would be
selected which may encourage weak scheduling practices and makes it difficult
for strong programs to find institutions willing to schedule them.
(7) Recommendation. Endorse the concept and request input from
sports committees regarding the appropriateness of applying the automatic
qualification
principles to the selection of teams for all individual-team sports (e.g.,
cross country, golf and tennis).
(8) Recommendation. That all individual-team sports be studied
to determine the appropriateness of applying the automatic qualification
principles to the selection of individual participants. The sports committees in those sports would
be requested to provide input about the concept.
h. Automatic Qualification Legislation (Bylaw
31.3.6).
(1) Recommendation. Clarify Bylaw 31.3.6 to reflect that
conferences that meet the automatic qualification requirements and are eligible
to be selected to a championship via Pool A and/or Pool C, may not elect
instead to be selected via Pool B as independent institutions.
Rationale. The clarification is consistent with the
original principles and legislative intent of Bylaw 31.3.6. It supports the concept of conference
competition and equitable access for conference members in which the conference
meets the automatic qualification criteria, but also preserves proportional
access for independent institutions.
(2) Recommendation. Clarify Bylaw 31.3.6 to emphasize that the
method by which the conference representative is determined must be done at the
time of the automatic qualification declaration and that it must be objectively
outlined.
Rationale. Conferences should have the autonomy to
determine their conference representative, but doing so at the time of
declaration and in an objective manner is important to maintain the integrity
of the principles by which Pools A, B and C were established.
(3) Recommendation. Endorse the guaranteed allocation of only
one berth in Pool A for conferences that meet the eligibility requirements,
regardless of the size of the conference beyond the minimum requirement of
seven eligible members.
Rationale. Providing additional opportunities in Pool A
for large conferences would undermine the committee’s long-term goal to devote
additional opportunities to Pool C (“at-large”) access, given limited available
resources.
i. Championship Experience Subcommittee
Recommendations.
(1)
Recommendation.
Request all sports committees to
officially provide input about the concept and the impact of conducting sports
festivals (i.e., both
positive and negative feedback as it relates to the championship experience,
changing dates, etc.)
(2)
Recommendation. Develop a championships manual that outlines
for host institutions the bidding process and hosting requirements in order to
better standardize the conduct of both preliminary- and final-round championships.
(3)
Recommendation. Request staff to gather preliminary
information on the cost of providing a participation award for all
championships travel party members to replace the current practice of providing
participation certificates. The committee
believes that this initiative also serves the goal of standardizing the
championships experience in that it would apply to all rounds of the championships
and provides a more permanent commemoration of the experience.
(4)
Recommendation. Endorse the championships staff policy that
potential hosts be notified of their selection to host a championship after the
Championships Committee has provided its approval. Currently, interested parties may be notified of the sports
committee’s recommendation with the proviso that the recommendation is pending
approval by the Championships Committee.
It is believed that in the great majority of cases the Championships
Committee does endorse the sports committee’s recommendation, but in the rare
instance that it may not, that puts the respective governing committees in a
difficult position.
j.
All
Committee Meetings Conducted in Indianapolis.
(1) Recommendation. Maintain the current practice of conducting
a portion of committee meetings outside of the location of the national office.
(2) Rationale. Committee members contribute a considerable about of time and
service to committee work at minimal cost to the Association. The opportunity to attend meetings outside
of the national office location is a reasonable request that recognizes those
contributions and encourages committee service.