UT Permian Basin President Sandra Woodley, Walsh President Tim Collins reelected to lead board
The Division II Executive Board approved a series of championship investments designed to increase participation opportunities and improve the student-athlete experience.
The board approved nearly $4.2 million in enhancements for the 2027-30 Division II championships budget cycle, which begins Sept. 1. The approved requests include expanded championship fields, larger travel parties and investments in championship administration and presentation.
Championship enhancements
These enhancements will expand championship access in several sports:
- The men’s soccer bracket will increase by four teams.
- The men’s wrestling championships field will add 20 qualifiers.
- The men’s and women’s indoor track and field championships will increase individual event fields from 18 to 20 participants. The outdoor track and field championships also will expand the fields for the combined events.
- Women’s golf will add one individual qualifier to the finals.
Other sport-specific enhancements include:
- Increasing travel parties in baseball, men’s lacrosse, women’s rowing, swimming and diving, track and field, and men’s wrestling.
- Increasing football and women’s lacrosse squad and travel-party sizes.
- Providing regional travel and larger regional travel parties in men’s and women’s golf.
- Adjusting basketball to a three-weekend championship format.
- Adding a day to the men’s wrestling super regional competition.
- Increasing the men’s and women’s indoor track and field championships from two days to three.
- Adding a day of rest between the semifinal and final matches at women’s volleyball regional and finals competition.
- Shifting women’s soccer to a super regional bracketing format.
- Establishing a national coordinator of officials for softball.
- Introducing competition managers for men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field.
- Providing video boards at men’s and women’s cross country regional competitions.
- Increasing officiating coverage in baseball, football, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s golf.
The enhancements across Division II championships include increased funding for signs, banquets, participant gifts, officiating fees, streaming and game presentation. All members of the official travel party will also receive championship medallions and patches, and trophy allocations will be adjusted to create greater consistency across sports.
The Division II Executive Board previously allocated approximately $7.6 million to the base championships budget for the triennial cycle. The approved requests leave approximately $3.4 million in reserve for the ongoing bracketing principles review and future championship initiatives.
Leadership elections
The board completed elections for its chair and vice chair. It also elected an East region representative and reelected an independent member.
The board reelected Sandra Woodley, president of The University of Texas Permian Basin, as chair and Tim Collins, president of Walsh, as vice chair. Their one-year terms will begin at the conclusion of the 2027 NCAA Convention.
Lorrie Clemo from D’Youville was elected to represent the East region through January 2029. The board also reelected Ed Hjerpe to a second two-year term as an independent member.
The board also ratified the election of Jen Flowers, director of athletics at Winona State, as chair of the Division II Management Council and the reelection of Kristina Ortiz, senior woman administrator at Georgian Court, as vice chair. Both one-year terms will begin at the conclusion of the 2027 Division II business session.
Additionally, the board ratified the following 10 elections to the Management Council:
- Kirby Garry, director of athletics, Cal State Monterey Bay, representing the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
- Traci Murphy, vice president for athletics, Daemen, representing the East Coast Conference.
- Hayley Treadway, deputy athletics director and senior woman administrator, Wisconsin-Parkside, representing the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
- Jackie Novak, faculty athletics representative, Walsh, representing the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
- John Maupin, vice president for athletics and student life, Lee, representing the Gulf South Conference.
- Rob Mallory, director of athletics, Missouri Southern State, representing the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
- Katelyn Smith, vice president of athletics and recreation/senior woman administrator, Adams State, representing the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
At-large representatives:
- Jim Crawley, faculty athletics representative, Dominican New York.
- Brandi Laurita, vice president for student affairs and athletics/senior woman administrator, Findlay.
- Chris Ratcliff, vice president for intercollegiate athletics, Rogers State.
