RELATED TO
MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
SUPPLEMENT NO. 16

NCAA DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIPS COMMITTEE

Summary of Recommendations

ACTION ITEMS – MANAGEMENT COUNCIL ONLY

1. ISSUE:		Sports Committee Appointments.
Committee Recommendation:
	Approved the following sports committee appointments: (a) Women’s Basketball – Jim Scheible, coach at University of Rochester, East region; (b) Men’s Ice Hockey – Chris Brown, coach at Marian College (Wisconsin), and Donald Maslinski, director of athletics at St. Norbert College, West region; (c) Men’s Lacrosse – Peter Bothner, director of athletics at Nazareth College, North region; (d) Women’s Softball – Margaret Knight, coach at Salisbury University, Atlantic region; (e) Men’s and Women’s Tennis – Kathy Campbell, coach at Vassar College, Northeast region; and (f) Women’s Basketball Rules – Rhonda Seagraves, assistant athletics director at Southwestern University, representing Division III women’s interest.
Management Council Action:
Previously approved August 29, 2002, by the Division III Administrative Committee.
2. ISSUE:		Track and Field Rules Outdoor Track Survey.
Committee Recommendation:
	Approved the requirement to have outdoor tracks surveyed after initial construction and after each resurfacing. In addition, institutions will be required to have portable indoor tracks surveyed before the first competition each year and permanent indoor tracks surveyed after initial construction and after each resurfacing.

Management Council Action:
Approved the recommendation.
3. ISSUE:		Pole-Vault Equipment – Landing Pad.
Committee Recommendation:
	Approved the recommendation to increase the minimum pole-vault landing pad measurement beyond the vault box to six meters wide by five meters deep (19 feet, eight inches by 16 feet, five inches). In addition, the front portion of the landing pad will be required to be the same width as the back portion of the pad. Finally, the committee approved a recommendation to require that suitable padding be placed around the base of the standards that hold the bar.
Management Council Action:
Approved the recommendation.
4. ISSUE:		Softball Rules Committee – Softball Coefficient of Restitution.
Committee Recommendation:
	Approved the recommendation to reduce the coefficient of restitution (COR) for the softball from a maximum of .50 to a maximum of .47 starting in January 2005.
Management Council Action:
Approved the recommendation.
5. ISSUE:		Basketball Rim Testing.
Committee Recommendation:
	Denyied the recommendation that rim testing (men’s game only) be mandatory, effective with the 2004-05 season.
Management Council Action:
Approved the recommendation to deny and forwarded the matter to the Association-wide playing rules oversight group, noting that the recommendation does not have unanimous divisional support.

6. ISSUE:		Softball On-Site Administrator.
Committee Recommendation:
	Deny the recommendation to require host institutions to designate an on-site administrator who is not a member of the coaching staff to assist umpires with game management issues during regular-season competition. (An on-site administrator is still required, but it can be a member of the coaching staff.)
Management Council Action:
Approved the recommendation to deny.
7. ISSUE:		North Atlantic Conference Wavier Request [NCAA Bylaw 31.3.4.2-(a)].
Committee Recommendation:
	Denyied the North Atlantic Conference (NAC)’s waiver request for selected sports (women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, field hockey, women’s cross country, women’s basketball and softball) of Bylaw 31.3.4.2-(a) specifying that a qualifying conference must have: “Been a member conference of the Association for two consecutive academic years.”
Management Council Action:
Approved the recommendation to deny.
8. ISSUE:		Women’s Rowing – AQ Selection Process.
Committee Recommendation:
	That the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) be awarded an automatic qualification berth and that all remaining at-large berths (Pools B and C) be collapsed into Pool B. All Pool B institutions and remaining institutions from Pool A (NESCAC institutions) will be eligible for all remaining at-large berths.
Management Council Action:
Approved the recommendation, noting that collapsing of Pool C into Pool B is a one-time exception to the principles based on the unique situation with sponsorship of Division III women's rowing.

9. ISSUE:		Women’s Softball – Championship Date Formula
Committee Recommendation:
	Approve that the championship date formula for the finals be moved back one day so that competition begins Friday and ends either Monday or Tuesday (if an “if necessary” game is required). The date formula for the finals will be defined as the “weekend of the third Saturday in May (Friday through Tuesday).”
Management Council Action:
Approved the recommendation.

ITEMS OF INFORMATION

1. ISSUE:		Team Sport Selection Criteria.
Committee Action:
	The committee is in the process of developing revised team sport selection criteria, which would incorporate a consistent strength-of-schedule index to be used by all team sports with the exception of rowing. The committee presented a draft document (Attachment A) for discussion with the chairs of all team sports committees and will solicit their feedback on completion. Based on the positive feedback from the chairs, implementation of these criteria is anticipated to take effect with the 2003-04 academic year. The committee will allow all sports committees to make use of the finalized index prior to mandated implementation (2002-03 if so decided).
Management Council Action:
Accepted the information, noting a concern with awarding points for losing to teams with losing records.
2. ISSUE:		NCAA Division III Championships Host Manual.
Committee Action:
	A host manual for all Division III championships is in the developmental stages and will be completed in time to be presented at the 2003 NCAA Convention. This manual will be used as a resource for all institutions and conferences that are interested in placing a bid for a specific championship.

Management Council Action:
Accepted the information.
3. ISSUE:		Predetermined, Multi-Year Same Site Selection.
Committee Action:
	The committee received numerous site-selection recommendations and agreed to approve championship sites only through the 2004-05 academic year. The committee discussed the benefits of rotating championships to different locations of the country. It is the intent of the committee to review site-selection criteria and develop policies regarding multi-year same site hosting at its January 2003 meting.
Management Council Action:
Accepted the information.
4. ISSUE:		2001-02 Championships Financial Analysis.
Committee Action:
	The committee reviewed information relative to the financial analysis of the 2001-02 championships provided by the NCAA finance and information services staff,. While not all information is complete, it appears as though the final figures will reflect a significant budget savings. The committee will continue to monitor the 2002-03 championships for whichbase-budget adjustmentshave been made. The committee believes the adjustments will benefit the budget process and provide a more accurate prediction of actual expenses. The committee has requested confirmation of actual cost savings attributed to moving flight restrictions from 400 to 500 miles, as well as implementation of the hub-airport travel policy. In order to evaluate equity in the travel policy, the committee also has requested that the NCAA finance staff provide data reflecting the financial burden to institutions flying into airports within 50 miles roundtrip of the championship site. The established policy states that institutions traveling by air are responsible for ground transportation if they fly into an airport that is less than 50 miles roundtrip from the championship site.
Management Council Action:
Accepted the information.

5. ISSUE:		Baseball Committee – Selection Principles.
Committee Action:
	Reaffirmed the current wording in the pairing procedures within the selection principle guidelines (“Teams from the same conference do not have to play one another in the first round as long as geographic proximity is maintained.”) and confirmed that the baseball committee acted within its purview by placing higher importance on seed rather than versus avoiding conference matchups in the first round. As long as geographic proximity is maintained, sports committees have the ability to determine which takes precedence, seeding or avoiding conference matchups.
Management Council Action:
Accepted the information.
6. ISSUE:		Men’s Basketball Committee – Selection Criteria.
Committee Action:
	Denied the request to implement the men’s basketball committee’s proposed strength-of-schedule index as the primary and secondary criteria for the 2003 championship. Implementation of a consistent strength of schedule for all team sports, with the exception of rowing, is anticipated for the 2003-04 academic year. Although the men’s basketball committee put forward a legitimate proposal, the championships committee was not in favor of approving an index that would be in use for one year only. The men’s basketball committee, as well as all team sports committees, will have the opportunity to use the proposed strength-of-schedule index during 2002-03.
Management Council Action:
Accepted the information.
7. ISSUE:		Women’s Basketball Committee –Regional Realignments.
Committee Action:
	(1) Approved realignment of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference be realignedto the Great Lakes region from the Mid-Atlantic region, effective for the 2002-03 academic year. (2) (2) Approved realignment of atThomas More Collegebe realigned to the Great Lakes region from the South region, effective for the 2002-03 academic year.

Management Council Action:
Accepted the information.
8. ISSUE:		Football Committee – Future Host Site/Selection Criteria.
Committee Action:
	(1) Future Host Site. Denied the request to allow the football committee to enter directly into negotiations with the city of Salem, Virginia and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference for the right to co-host the championship finals of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 NCAA Division III Football Championships. The committee directed the football committee to solicit bids through the established process and be prepared to recommend sites to the championships committee by June 2003. (2) Strength of Schedule. Approved the request to eliminate opponent’s opponents’ records as a criterion in determining strength of schedule. (3) Bye Teams. Denied the request to reevaluate the championships committee’s decision regarding the pairing of teams, specifically bye teams. (4) Seeding Procedure. Denied the request to include historical performance from the past three championships in the criteria for seeding teams in their respective seven-team brackets.
Management Council Action:
Accepted the information.
9. ISSUE:		Women’s Golf Committee – Selection Criteria.
Committee Action:
	(1) Selection Criteria – Strength of Schedule. Approved that the strength of schedule be redefined to include quality of the field. Strength of schedule would read as follows: “Quality of the field, number of teams in tournaments and number of rounds in tournaments.” (2) Selection Criteria – Scoring Average. Approved that scoring average be redefined to include team and individual stroke average. Scoring average would read as follows: “Adjusted scoring average, team and individual stroke average, and score versus par.” (3) Selection Criteria – Tie-Breaking Procedure. Approved that a tie-breaking procedure be put in place. In the event a tie exists, the committee would consider the selection criteria in the following priority order: (a) head-to-head competition within regions; (b) won-lost record (in region and overall); (c) comparisons with common opponents; (d) scoring average (adjusted scoring average, team and individual stroke average, and score versus par); (e) strength of schedule (quality of the field, number of teams in tournaments and number of rounds of tournaments); (f) spring results compared to fall results; and (g) eligibility and availability of student-athletes. (4) Regional Assignment. Approved regional designation for that the following institutions sponsoring women’s golf, effective 2002-03be assigned to the designated regions: Bates College Region 1 University of California, Santa Cruz Region 5 Middlebury College Region 1 College of Mount St. Joseph Region 2 Nazareth College Region 1 Piedmont College (provisional member) Region 2 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Region 2 Susquehanna University Region 1 Villa Julie College Region 1 University of Wisconsin, River Falls Region 3 Worcester State College Region 1
Management Council Action:
Accepted the information.
10. ISSUE:		Women’s Lacrosse Committee – Officials.
Committee Action:
	Approved the use of three flights to allow the three flightsfor officialsto be used for any round of the championship, andnot just the finals.
Management Council Action:
Accepted the information.

11. ISSUE:		Selected Individual-Team Sports (Cross Country, Golf, Tennis) – Automatic Qualification Principles and Selection Process.
Committee Action:
	After its June proposal to the NCAA Division III Mmanagement Ccouncil and subsequent referral back to the championships committee, the committee will request feedback from individual-team sports committees regarding the following: (1) Suggested elimination of individual portion of the championship; and (2) Possible effect of application of automatic qualification. The committee will evaluate information received from each sports committee independently and will present a revised proposal to the Management Council for each of the championships under review. The committee also continues to review the process by which bracket access ratios for individual-team sports are determined.
Management Council Action:
Accepted the information.
12. ISSUE:		Regional Rankings.
Committee Action: