We will play a little catch-up in this article as the NCAA has had some recent DIII meetings so let’s report on what’s going on in everyone’s favorite organization.
The DIII Strategic Planning and Finance Committee notes can be found here.
Nothing too interesting there except that the note about how DIII will receive a 13% revenue increase with the new CBS/Turner Sports broadcast agreement that begins in fiscal year 2025. With the additional funds coming, the committee received an update from the chair of the Championships Committee regarding discussions to enhance the student-athlete championship experience. Topics up for conversation include equal access to Pool C (at large), providing additional flights during opening rounds to protect higher regional seeds and/or providing more funding to the current championship experience.
I’m not sure what “equal access to Pool C” means. Do we not have equal access now? I’m sure this has an innocent explanation but my conspiratorial mind has questions. Coupled with additional flights to protect higher seeds does this mean flights hampered Pool C selection for those programs that required an additional one? Regardless, extra flights would be amazing.
The DIII Management Council notes can be found here.
The council voted to adopt legislation to eliminate the requirement that playing rules be the same for all three divisions. The new NCAA Constitution includes a provision that calls for flexibility at the divisional level in establishing rules.
Two changes that are effective immediately were approved. The first allows a student-athlete to continue to practice but not compete during the time in which a season-of-participation waiver or hardship wavier request is being reviewed. The second would treat participation in a college all-star contest the same as participation in any outside competition. These means student-athletes can now participate in those events without losing their eligibility.
The DIII Presidents Council notes can be found here.
Nothing of note excited me in this one.
Women's Division III Volleyball 
Football (yes, sorry) is one sport that doesn’t have “equal access”. They are capped at 32 playoff teams when per the NCAA’s access ratio (1:6.5) they should have 37 (or 38 if you include the NESCAC who doesn’t let their football teams participate in the NCAAs). Women’s soccer is another; they should have 67 but are capped at 64. In both cases you would have to figure out how to handle the extra time needed for another round, even though only a few teams would participate in the added first round, and for football which needs a week between games rather than a day or two that is an issue.
But as the debacle with Trinity’s women’s basketball team (again) showed this year, where they were forced to fly back east even though they should have hosted (even the D3sports guys called the NCAA out on this one) more flights would truly be awesome.
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Great insight. I sometimes forget that volleyball isn’t the only NCAA sport. 😏
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