INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Competition Oversight Committee plans to take a closer look this Fall at championship sports that have 50 or fewer sponsoring schools.
Men’s volleyball will be the first Division I/National Collegiate Championship sport reviewed. The other sports identified for future examination include fencing, men’s gymnastics, women’s ice hockey, rifle, skiing and men’s water polo.
The committee reconfirmed at its summer 2017 meeting in Indianapolis that the purpose of the review is to enhance sustainability in a given sport and not to undermine or eliminate a championship or implement policies and procedures that could negatively impact the student-athlete experience.
The committee adopted four overarching strategies as a framework to guide the review process: identify changes that can be made to support the sport, inclusive of regular-season competition; develop more ways to support current sponsors or encourage new sports sponsorship; review the championship format, championship season and other aspects of the postseason; and examine the finals site experience, sport sponsorship and other aspects of the event.
As part of the comprehensive review process, committee members will seek feedback from coaches associations and national governing bodies for each sport, conferences that sponsor the sports and previous championship host sites.
After thoroughly looking at the championships, the committee will determine any actions, including legislative, to assist the sports and determine the best championship formats (number of rounds, etc.).
Release courtesy National Collegiate Athletic Association
