REPORT OF THE
NCAA DIVISION III
CHAMPIONSHIPS COMMITTEE
1. ACTION ITEMS.
a. Out-of-Region
Contests During Institutional Breaks.
(1) Recommendation. Approve that any Division III contest
during an institutional break shall count as in-region competition for ranking
and selection purposes in team sports, effective 2006-07. The recommendation includes the
following parameters: (1) breaks of
four to seven calendar days in length; (2) institutions will have the ability
to choose one break per sport per season within the permissible playing season
– to be designated prior to the first game of the season; and (3) if the
contest is played during the time period that one of the institutions designates
as their institutional break, it then counts as an in-region contest for both
teams.
(2) Rationale.
This policy would inject flexibility into the process of scheduling
in-region contests to be used in the primary criteria during the ranking and
selection process without encouraging additional missed class time by
student-athletes.
(3) Budget
Impact. Campus based.
b.
Division I 2005-90 Executive Regulations – Automatic
Qualification Standards for National Collegiate
(1)
Recommendation. Approve the proposed
changes for automatic qualification into National Collegiate championships.
(2)
Rationale. This legislation will
standardize requirements for automatic qualification into National Collegiate championships
across the divisions.
(3)
Budget Impact. None.
c.
IPOPL No. 10:
Division III Membership – Philosophy Statement – Elimination
of In-Region Competition Emphasis.
(1)
Recommendation. Oppose elimination of
emphasis on in-region competition during the selection process for all Division
III team sports.
(2)
Rationale. The committee supports the
Division III philosophy statement as written, and as such, continues to affirm
placing emphasis on in-region competition for changes selection purposes. The committee believes the 200-mile
radius, as well as item (a) above; both add appropriate flexibility to the
in-region concept. The committee
does encourage institutions to provide educational experiences in the form of
out-of-region trips for their student-athletes if they so choose, with the
understanding that they are doing it for the experience and not for selection
purposes.
(3)
Budget Impact. Campus based.
d.
IPOPL No. 11:
Executive Regulations – Automatic Qualification – Conference
Realignment Period.
(1)
Recommendation. Oppose the proposed conference
realignment period (
(2)
Rationale. The committee supports the
principles of the proposal and recommends that the conference or Council amend
the effective date to allow a two-year period for a conference self-study
program, followed by realignment consistent with the related governance-structure
proposal.
(3)
Budget Impact. None.
e.
IPOPL No. 12:
Executive Regulations – Selection of Teams and Individuals for
(1)
Recommendation. Oppose allowing a conference
to remain eligible for automatic qualification for two academic years after the
date of withdrawal of the institution(s) that cause the conference’s
membership to fall below seven institutions in a particular sport.
(2)
Rationale. The committee does not
support the recommended unlimited timeline of the grace period noting that it
could perpetrate constant fluctuation in the allocation of pools A, B and C. This concept is contrary to the
governance proposal that includes a period for conference self-study and a
limited period for conference realignment.
(3)
Budget Impact. None.
f.
IPOPL No. 13:
Executive Regulations – Selection of Teams and Individual for
(1)
Recommendation. Oppose adoption of a
strength-of-season index as a primary criterion for ranking and selection
purposes in team sports.
(2)
Rationale. The committee has requested
feedback from all team sport committees regarding implementation of
opponents’ average winning percentage as a primary criterion for ranking
and selection purposes, and believes that will result in a truer comparison of
strength-of-schedule between two institutions. The committee noted that
opponents’ average winning percentages can be used as a comparison among
any and all institutions, including independent institutions.
(3)
Budget Impact. None.
g.
NCAA Championships - Clean-Venue Pilot Program.
(1)
Recommendation. Approve participation in an
Association-wide pilot program that would require prospective hosts of selected
predetermined championship final sites (men’s and women’s
basketball, field hockey and women’s lacrosse) to submit bids based on their assuming all
costs related to covering all advertising within the “bowl” or
seating area of their facility to ensure a “clean venue” for an
NCAA Championship.
(2)
Rationale. The committee supported the
concept of attempting to determine the effect of requiring a clean venue on the
ability to attract hosts for predetermined Division III championship final
sites. Additionally, the
committee requested that all 2005-06 predetermined finals site hosts be
surveyed to determine how their initial bids would have been affected if they
would have been required to cover all such advertising signage within their
facilities.
(3)
Budget Impact. Campus based to be
determined.
h. Sports
Committee Appointments.
[Attachment]
(1) Recommendation. Approve the appointments to the
following sports committees. All
appointments will be effective immediately.
(a) Division
III Men’s Golf Committee (immediate vacancy replacing Richard
Mueller): Northeast region: Steven Campbell, men’s golf coach,
Salem State College.
(b) Women’s
Gymnastics Committee (immediate vacancy replacing John Feeney): Paul Plinske, director of athletics,
(c) Division III
Softball Committee. Immediate
vacancy replacing Tom Bonerbo (Northeast region): Anita Kubica, assistant director of
athletics, head softball coach,
(d) Division III
Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Committee (September 2005
vacancy). Stephen Looke,
assistant director of athletics, head men’s and women’s swimming
coach,
(2) Rationale. The committee approved all appointments
forwarded from the Nominating Committee.
(3) Budget Impact. None.
2. INFORMATIONAL
ITEMS.
a.
Institutional
Policy – Religions Reasons [Bylaw 31.1.4.1]. The committee will research and review
objective data regarding the policy and its impact on missed class time related
to moving championship dates from Saturday/Sunday to Friday/Saturday and
provide a recommendation to the Management Council at a future meeting.
b.
Budget Review
– FY 2006-08. The committee
reviewed its budget initiatives following a discussion and input from all team
and individual/team sports chairs and prioritized them in the following order:
(1)
Travel party per diem;
(2)
Officials fees;
(3)
Participation awards;
(4)
Officials per diem;
(5)
Increase in travel party size for the sports of
baseball, men’s and women’s basketball and women’s rowing;
and
(6) Increase
the number of non-student athletes in the travel party for individual/team
sports.
The
committee will continue to review the budget initiatives, in addition to
recommendations submitted by the sports committees, and finalize budget
recommendations at its January meeting.
c.
Men’s and
Women’s Golf and Women’s Tennis Selection Criteria. Approved the requirement of spring play
as part of the selection criteria for at-large berths to the NCAA Division III
Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships; the NCAA Division III
Men’s and Women’s Golf Committees can require four rounds of 18
holes to be played in the spring.
The championships committee requested that the NCAA Division III Women’s
Tennis Committee also require a minimum mandatory spring play for at-large
consideration.
d.
Opponents’
Average Winning Percentage. Reviewed
information related to implementation of opponents’ average winning
percentage as a primary criterion, with the intent that this will replace the quality-of-wins
index. The committee requested
feedback from all sports committees for its June meeting; sports committees are
expected to share this information with coaches associations and other
pertinent groups for feedback.
e.
Postseason
Tournaments. Clarified that
postseason tournaments should be identified in the score-reporting system
similar to regular season games. Contests
played at an institution’s home facility should be classified as a home
contest; contests played at an opponent’s facility should be classified
as an away contest; and contests played at a neutral facility should be
classified as a neutral (e.g., away) contest for both teams.
f.
Additional Site
Representatives. Established a policy that would allow a second local site representative
at preliminary-round competition that have a minimum of seven teams competing
at the site. Per diem only will be
provided for the additional site representative. This initiative will be further reviewed
in January as part of the on-going budget process and presented as a component
of the final championships budget request.
g.
Championship Date Formulas – Men’s
and Women’s Golf and Tennis. Requested feedback from the men’s
and women’s golf and tennis committees regarding their current
championships date formulas. The championships
committee would like the following information from each of the sports
committees: (1) provide a proposed championship date formula that would remove
all championship play from the first weekend of May; (2) pros and cons of
moving the championship dates; (3) impact on national office staff; and (4)
possibility of compressing championship rounds without moving championship
finals date. Staff was also
directed to research graduation dates and the potential impact of championship
date changes.
h.
Men’s and
Women’s Golf and Tennis and Women’s Volleyball Survey. Finalized the previously approved membership
survey regarding championships related issues. The survey will be distributed to the
membership this fall and results reviewed at its January meeting.
i.
Playing Rules
Oversight Panel (PROP).
(a) Stipends
for Secretary-Rules Editors.
Accepted the information that PROP has requested funds through the Division
I Championships/Competitions Cabinet to provide a stipend for all
secretary-rules editors. The
committee requested that PROP consider the same funding for sports committees
that do not have rules committees, but have identified a committee member to
serve in a role similar to that of a secretary-rules editor. Although the Association may not write
the rules for the sport, the designated person often serves in a role similar
to that of an official secretary-rules editor.
(b)
Attendance of an Active Official at Playing
Rules Meetings. Accepted the
information that PROP has requested funds through the Division I
Championships/Competitions Cabinet to fund one active official to attend each
of the Association’s 17 playing rules committee’s annual meetings.
j.
Softball Rules
Committee. Accepted the information that the NCAA Softball
Rules Committee has requested funding for compliance testing for 30 bats per
year across all three divisions. It
was noted that bats selected for testing would not be returned to the
institutions; however, institutions will be reimbursed for the cost of the bat.
k.
50 Percent
In-Region Requirement.
Approved the concept to involve sports committees in the process of
reviewing waiver requests of the 50 percent, in-region requirement for team
sports.
l.
Team Sport
Bracket Size Determination.
Approved the policy of determining bracket sizes and pool berths based
on the previous year sponsorship numbers, effective 2006-07.
m.
Sports Committee Recommendations.
(1)
Baseball.
(a) Automatic
Qualification. Approved
automatic qualification to the 2006 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship for
the following conferences:
Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference; American Southwest Conference;
Centennial Conference; College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin;
Commonwealth Conference; Commonwealth Coast Conference; Freedom Conference;
Great Northeast Athletic Conference; Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference;
Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; Lake Michigan Conference; Liberty
League; Little East Conference; Massachusetts State College Athletic
Conference; Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association; Midwest Conference;
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; New England Small College
Athletic Conference; New England Women’s and Men’s Athletics
Conference; New Jersey Athletic Conference; North Coast Athletic Conference;
Northwest Conference; Ohio Athletic Conference; Old Dominion Athletic
Conference; Pennsylvania Athletic Conference; Skyline Conference; Southern
California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; Southern Collegiate Athletic
Conference; St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; State University of
New York Athletic Conference; USA South Athletic Conference; and Wisconsin
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
(b)
Pool Allocations. Approved the following pool allocations
for the 2006 championship: Pool A
– 32; Pool B – 7; and Pool C – 13.
(c)
Committee Chair. Approved John Casey, head baseball
coach,
(d)
Squad Size Increase. Denied the request for a squad size
increase from 24 to 25.
(e)
Predetermined Regional Sites. Approved the recommendation that the
regional sites in the Central, West and Midwest regions be predetermined,
pending final budget approval in January; all regional sites will now be
predetermined.
(f)
Officials Flights. Approved the recommendation to increase
the number of flights allowed for officials from four to eight, (pending final
budget approval in January) to allow all regions to be represented in the
umpire pool at the finals site.
(2)
Men’s Basketball.
(a) Automatic
Qualification. Approved
automatic qualification to the 2006 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball
Championship for the following conferences: Allegheny Mountain Collegiate
Conference; American Southwest Conference; Capital Athletic Conference;
Centennial Conference; College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin;
Commonwealth Conference; Commonwealth Coast Conference; City University of New
York Athletic Conference; Empire 8; Freedom Conference; Great Northeast
Athletic Conference; Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference; Iowa
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; Lake Michigan Conference; Liberty League;
Little East Conference; Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference;
Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association; Midwest Conference; Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; New England Small College Athletic
Conference; New England Women’s and Men’s Athletics Conference; New
Jersey Athletic Conference; North Atlantic Conference; North Coast Conference;
Northwest Conference; Ohio Athletic Conference; Old Dominion Athletic
Conference; Pennsylvania Athletic Conference; Skyline Conference; Southern
California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; Southern Collegiate Athletic
Conference; St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; State University of
New York Athletic Conference; University Athletic Association; USA South Athletic
Conference; and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
(b)
Pool Allocations. Approved the following pool allocations
for the 2006 championship: Pool A
– 37; Pool B – 4; and Pool C – 18.
(c)
Ranked Teams.
Approved the recommendation to base the number of ranked teams per
region as a function of the number of sponsoring institution in a region
divided by the bracket ratio (e.g., number of teams in any given region/6.5 and
then rounded to the nearest whole number).
(3)
Football.
(a) Officiating
Crews. Approved the
recommendation to move to seven-person officiating crews at NCAA Division III
Football Championship games (pending final budget approval in January), with
the intent that all officials with seven-person officiating experience must be
considered, not only officials working in conferences that have seven-person
crews.
(b) 2006
and 2007 Stagg Bowl Site Selection.
Approved the city of
(4)
Men’s Golf.
(a) Automatic
Bid for Host Institution.
Approved the recommendation that the automatic bid for the host
institution be rescinded effective with the 2007 championships and the implementation
of automatic qualification.
(b)
2007
(c)
Rules Officials. Approved the recommendation that the
number of rules officials at the championships finals be increased from ten to
twelve, (pending final budget approval in January).
(d)
(e)
(5) Women’s
Golf.
(a) Committee
Chair. Approved Darla Kirby,
head women’s golf coach, Mary Hardin-Baylor, to serve as chair, effective
September, 2005.
(b)
Bracket Expansion. Approved a bracket increase of two
individual competitors to increase the championships field from 100 to 102, (pending
final budget approval in January).
(c)
Championships Date Formula. Approved a date formula change from the
second full week in May (Tuesday-Friday or Wednesday-Saturday) to the second
Tuesday or Wednesday in May, effective with the 2008 championships.
(d)
(6) Men’s Ice Hockey.
(a) 2006
Automatic Qualification.
Approved automatic qualification to the 2006 NCAA Division III
Men’s Ice Hockey Championship for the following conferences: ECAC East Ice Hockey League; ECAC
Northeast Ice Hockey League; Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference; New
England Small College Athletic Conference; Northern Collegiate Hockey
Association; and the State University of New York Athletic Conference.
(b)
Pool Allocations. Approved the following pool allocations
for the 2006 championship: Pool A
– 6; Pool B – 1; and Pool C – 3.
(c)
Committee Chair. Approved Chris Brown, associate
men’s ice hockey coach,
(7) Women’s
Ice Hockey. Approved the
recommendation to allow the NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Committee
the ability to create up to two flights to provide a region the opportunity to
host the finals if that region has not hosted the championship within the past
three years, (pending final budget approval in January). The approval to do so is not automatic;
the Ice Hockey Committee will be required to request permission of the Championships
Committee prior to selections.
(8)
Men’s Lacrosse.
(a) Official
Travel Party. Denied the
request to increase the travel party to 37 from 33 and the squad size to 32 from
28.
(b)
Per Diem Increase. Denied the request that the per diem
provided for the two teams competing in the NCAA Division III Men’s
Lacrosse Championship final be increased to $110 from $70.
(c)
2007 and 2008 Championship Site Selections. Approved
(d)
Automatic Qualification. Approved automatic qualification to the
2006 championship for the following conferences: Capital Athletic Conference; Centennial
Conference; Commonwealth Coast Conference; Empire 8; Knickerbocker Lacrosse
Conference; Liberty League; Little East Conference; Middle Atlantic States
Collegiate Athletic Corporation; New England Small College Athletic Conference;
Old Dominion Athletic Conference; Pennsylvania Athletic Conference; Pilgrim
League; and the State University of New York Athletic Conference.
(e)
Pool Allocations. Approved the following pool allocations
for the 2006 championship: Pool A
– 13; Pool B – 3; and Pool C – 4.
(f)
Date Formula Change. Approved a date formula changed for the
semifinal games from the Saturday prior to the finals to the Sunday prior to
the finals.
(9) Women’s
Lacrosse.
(a) Automatic
Qualification. Approved
automatic qualification to the 2006 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse
Championship for the following conferences: Capital Athletic Conference; Centennial
Conference; Commonwealth Coast Conference; Empire 8; Liberty League; Little
East Conference; Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation; New
England Small College Athletic Conference; New England Women’s and
Men’s Athletics Conference; New England Women’s Lacrosse Alliance;
North Coast Athletic Conference; Old Dominion Athletic Conference; Pennsylvania
Athletic Conference; State University of New York Athletic Conference and the
USA South Athletic Conference.
(b)
Pool Allocations. Approved the following pool allocations
for the 2006 championship: Pool A
– 15; Pool B – 3; and Pool C – 6.
(c) Officials
Flights. Approved an increase
in the number of flights allowed for officials from six to nine, (pending final
budget approval in January).
(d)
Committee Chair. Approved Lynn Rothenhoefer, head coach,
(10) Women’s
Rowing.
(a)
Committee Chair. Approved Debbie Lazorik, director of
athletics,