Panel also takes action on championship policies, basketball legislation and eligibility relief
The Division II Management Council this week approved nearly $4.2 million in championship enhancements for the 2027-30 triennial budget cycle.
The approved requests include investments in championship travel; bracket/field and travel party sizes; event operations; streaming; and the overall championship experience. If they are approved by the Division II Executive Board, the enhancements will take effect Sept. 1.
Included are funding for men’s and women’s golf regional travel; a change to a three-weekend format in basketball; championship streaming enhancements; expanded travel parties in baseball, football, lacrosse, swimming and diving, track and field, and wrestling; a four-team expansion of the men’s soccer championship; larger fields at both the indoor and outdoor track and field championships; and an additional competition day at the indoor track and field championships. The package also provides funding to add a rest day at the women’s volleyball championship.
“These significant investments reflect our continued commitment to providing meaningful and equitable championship opportunities for Division II student-athletes,” said Ben Cherry, faculty athletics representative at Cal State San Marcos and chair of the Management Council. “The council was intentional in balancing immediate championship needs with the flexibility to address future priorities, as opportunities present and initiatives develop. That approach allows us to strengthen the championship experience while remaining responsible stewards of the division’s resources.”
Championships
The council approved establishing an in-region, nonconference opponent policy that will require schools to participate in at least one in-region, nonconference contest in sports that use the NCAA Power Index to be eligible for at-large selection in those championships. In football, the requirement would be one nonconference contest only, without the in-region component. The policy will be effective for the 2027-28 academic year, and a waiver process will be in place for schools that cannot meet the requirement because of scheduling complications, such as contracts that already have been signed.
The Championships Committee and Management Council agreed that a minimum requirement should be in place to give sport committees the adequate data with which to compare teams for seeding and bracketing purposes.
The council approved eliminating altitude conversions used to qualify for the Division II Men’s and Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Championships, effective with the 2027-28 academic year.
The Championships Committee and Management Council noted that altitude does not affect all athletes and events in the same manner. The current system applies conversions only to selected events and does not account for other environmental conditions that can influence performance, including heat, humidity and cold.
The Management Council also received an update on the Championships Committee’s review of rowing sports sponsorship. Of the current 14 sponsoring institutions, only seven satisfied requirements for championship selection in 2026 by participating in events that race the required four- and eight-person boats. Because six teams are selected for the championship, the Championships Committee thinks the resulting access ratio does not align with the division’s principles regarding the Division II championship experience. The Management Council agreed with these concerns and expressed support for continued discussion during the Championships Committee’s February meeting.
Position on 2027 NCAA Convention membership-sponsored proposal
The council reviewed and formally opposed the membership-sponsored proposal that will be voted on at the Division II business session of the 2027 Convention in January. The proposal would allow Division II basketball teams to play their first contest on the Friday preceding the Monday that is 17 weeks before the selections dates for the Division II Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. If adopted, the proposal would take effect Aug. 1. The Division II Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees previously agreed to support the proposal, and the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports and the Division II Legislation Committee agreed to take no position.
Other items
- Degree Completion Award: The council approved a waiver of select Division II Degree Completion Award requirements for the 2027-28 award cycle. The waiver applies to student-athletes who would have exhausted their eligibility during or at the conclusion of the 2026-27 academic year and are now eligible to compete in 2027-28 under the division’s new age-based eligibility rules. It waives the exhaustion-of-eligibility requirement and the restriction on receiving athletics aid while receiving the award. Other requirements remain in place. The 2026-27 application period for the 2027-28 award cycle will open Nov. 2.
- Infractions disclosure: The council backed noncontroversial legislation to require a school to receive notice before the NCAA national office publicly releases information about a pending infractions case under the immediate-need exception. Any information released under the exception may not identify a current or former student-athlete by name. If approved in legislative form in January, the proposal will be effective immediately.
- Unofficial visits: The council backed noncontroversial legislation to allow institutional staff members to have contact with a prospective student-athlete during an unofficial visit before June 15 preceding the student’s junior year in high school, provided the contact does not include athletically related recruiting conversations. The change would allow staff to discuss general admissions and campus information during those visits. If approved in legislative form in January, the proposal will be effective immediately.
