REPORT OF THE
NCAA DIVISION III
CHAMPIONSHIPS COMMITTEE
1. ACTION ITEMS.
a. Sport
Committee Nominees.
(1) Recommendation. Approve the following sports committee
appointments (all appointments will be effective
(a) Women’s Rowing Committee.
(b) Men’s and Women’s
Swimming and Diving Committee. Men‘s
interests: James Wiggins Jr., head swimming and diving coach, Austin College; women’s interests – Eva
Folkert, women’s director of athletics, Hope College.
(2) Rationale.
The Championships Committee ratified recommendations forwarded by
the Nominating Committee.
(3) Budget
Impact. None.
b.
Individual/Team Sports
Per Diem – 2005-06 Budget Reallocations.
(1)
Recommendation. Reallocate
funds to increase the total number of days paid to participants in select
individual team/sport championships.
(2)
Rationale. Participants
and members of the travel party in select individual/team sport championships
are currently reimbursed only for the days on which they compete. This proposal will provide for
reimbursement of a set number of days for every qualifying student-athlete and
travel party member regardless of the number of days that student-athletes
compete. The number of days reimbursed
will vary between sports, but all participants within a sport will all receive
the same number of per diem days.
The reallocation will come from existing per diem dollars. The per diem budget has been under
budget an average of $147,000 per year over the past two years.
(3)
Budget Impact. $126,500
in reallocation.
c.
Membership Survey
– Championship Issues.
(1)
Recommendation. Survey
the membership on issues related to the Division III Men’s and Women’s
Tennis Championships and the Division III Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships,
as well as a proposed rules change for women’s volleyball. The committee is also requesting
feedback from the Management Council and Student-Athlete Advisory Council on
the golf and tennis issues listed below.
(2) Rationale. The committee has identified the
following areas in which it would like feedback from the membership: (1) The NCAA Women’s Volleyball Rules
Committee proposed adoption of a minimum overhead clearance height of 25 feet
for volleyball courts. A minimum
height is not currently listed in the rules book and the committee would like
to determine the number of institutions that would be affected with
implementation of this proposed rule.
The committee noted that institutions not meeting this new standard
would be unable to host NCAA championship competition; (2) Is the membership
interested in identifying the fall as the championship season for men’s and/or
women’s golf and/or tennis?; and (3) Is the membership interested in identifying
traditional and non-traditional seasons for men’s and women’s golf
and tennis, similar to other sports?
(3) Budget
Impact. None.
2. INFORMATIONAL
ITEMS.
a.
Out-of-Region
Contests during Institutional Breaks.
The
committee reviewed its prior proposal and decided to request feedback from
sports committees during its meeting with sports committee chairs in
September. The committee agreed to
expand the proposal to include the following parameters: (1) Breaks of four to seven days in
length; (2) Institutions would have the ability to choose one break per sport
per season within the permissible playing season; and (3) if the traveling team
opts to count the contest as an in-region game, it must also count as an
in-region game for the opposing team.
b.
Ground
Transportation – 2005-06 Budget Reallocation. The committee agreed in concept to a
budget reallocation that would change the process of how institutions are
reimbursed for ground transportation.
Two proposals were put forward by the NCAA Administrative Services Group:
(1) Reimburse each participating
institution a flat rate of $3,500.00 and $1.00 per mile for ground
transportation regardless of the number of days a bus would be rented; and (2) A
flat fee per day that would be dependent upon the number of travel days
incurred. The committee will
further review this proposal and make a recommendation no later than August,
2005.
c.
Men’s and
Women’s Golf and Tennis Championship Issues. The committee has requested feedback from
the Men’s and Women’s Golf Committees and the Men’s and
Women’s Tennis Committees regarding their championships date formulas and
selection criteria. Regarding the
championships date formula, the committee is interested in determining why the
championships are held so early in May.
Regarding selection criteria, the committee wants to confirm with the
sports committees that no additional requirements will be placed upon
conference automatic qualification representatives that may be named in the
fall for championships to be contested in the spring. Additionally, the Championships Committee
intends to review the current criteria in place that requires institutions to
compete in the spring when they might not otherwise choose to do so.
d.
Presidents
Athletic Conference Waiver Request.
Denied
a request for a waiver of the two-year waiting period for
automatic-qualification eligibility.
e. </