This update is a tool to enhance communication between the NCAA national office and the Division III membership, with distribution to athletics directors, senior woman administrators, faculty athletics representatives, presidents, national SAAC, conference commissioners and the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators listserv. We encourage athletics directors to share this communication with their athletics department members. Please contact Katie Mucci to include an item or share comments, and remember to check out the Division III governance homepage for the latest news and information.
Congratulations this year’s award winners honored at the NCAA Convention in San Antonio. Dr. Marsha Harris, New York University, received the Silver Anniversary Award, recognizing the 25th anniversary of the completion of her college career. Blaine Hawkins, Central (Iowa), and Jack Mulvihill, St. John Fisher, were recognized with Today’s Top 10 Awards, given to outstanding senior student-athletes from the previous academic year. The NCAA Woman of the Year award was presented to Karenna Groff, MIT.
LGBTQ of the Year Recognition Awards
During the NCAA Convention, Division III announced the 2022 LGBTQ of the Year recipients. The honorees were Middlebury soccer player Elise Morris, UC Santa Cruz Associate Athletics Director Courtnie Prather and the Centennial Conference. Click here for more information including highlight videos. The 2022 LGBTQ of the Year Awards nomination application period is now open. For the award criteria, click here, and visit the NCAA Program Hub to submit nominations until June 1.
Don’t Bet on It
With the Super Bowl occurring soon, the NCAA has a reminder for you and your student-athletes: Don’t Bet on It. Betting on a pro sporting event is a sports wagering violation that risks eligibility. For additional resources, click here.
Division III Webinars
Webinars are from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Eastern time the first Tuesday of the month on the following dates and topics:
Feb. 7 — 2023 Convention recap. March 7 — Eligibility Center: international student-athlete certification. April 4 — Championships bid cycle.
All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III webinar webpage.
IMPORTANT: Regional Rules Seminar
At least once every three years, an active member school must be represented by at least one institutional staff member at the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar. Unsure if you need to attend? Please reference the Division III Institutions Required To Attend the 2023 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar List. This year's in-person seminar is May 17-18 in Indianapolis. If you have attendance requirement questions, contact Eric Hartung at ehartung@ncaa.org.
Per NCAA Bylaw 14.5.1, a student-athlete who transfers to a Division III institution from any other collegiate institution is required to serve an academic year in residence at the certifying institution before being eligible to compete. However, there are several exceptions to this general rule that would allow a transfer student-athlete to be immediately eligible at your institution. The exceptions can be found in Bylaws 14.5.4 (Two-Year College Transfers) and 14.5.5 (Four-Year College Transfers).
To determine whether a transfer student-athlete meets any exceptions, it is important to first understand their complete and accurate educational and athletics participation history. We recommend creating a timeline starting with the student's high school graduation date and continuing through the student's enrollment at your institution. You'll want to know the following:
Each institution the student was enrolled at full time.
Any gaps in full-time enrollment (i.e., academic terms when the student was not enrolled in college or when the student was part time).
Athletics participation history, both practice and competition, per term at each institution.
Use all of your resources to ensure the timeline is accurate, including transfer tracers from previous institutions, Transfer Portal information (if applicable), official transcripts, and your registrar's office for reviewing transferable credits. Once you have a full educational and participation history, you can accurately identify the type of transfer (two-year college transfer or four-year) and apply the correct transfer legislation.
2023 NCAA Convention Legislation Update
Division III delegates gathered in San Antonio, Texas to vote on a number of Division III proposals during the 2023 Convention. Click here for a summary of the voting on these proposals.
For the fifth time, Division III will support eight students who are women and/or identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color to attend the annual College Sports Communicators Convention through the Division III CSC Student Program. The 2023 convention, which includes Division III Day, runs June 11-14 in Orlando, Florida.
Students who meet the following criteria will be given preference:
Female and/or students who identify as BIPOC.
Current junior class academic standing.
Work experience in a campus or conference athletics communication/sports information office.
Strong interest in a career in Division III athletics communication (sports information).
At the 2023 CSC Convention, the selected students will participate in Division III Day and be exposed to the College Sports Communicators Convention, its delegates and the athletics communication profession. Grant recipients will attend welcome and debriefing meetings and be assigned a mentor. The goal is to build the pipeline in an effort to ultimately diversify the Division III athletics communication landscape.
The nomination/application process will be available on the NCAA Program Hub from Feb. 14 through 5 p.m. Eastern time March 17.
DEADLINE APPROACHING: NCAA and D3SIDA Recognition Award
The NCAA Division III and D3SIDA recognition award seeks to honor the best work — including news releases, feature articles, videos, blogs and other materials — produced by Division III campus and conference athletics communication offices. Each top honoree will receive a $1,500 credit to attend Division III Day at the annual College Sports Communicators Convention. The next submission deadline is Feb. 15. For more information, click here.
2023 Division III Week
This year’s Division III Week celebration will be April 10-16. Division III Week is a positive opportunity for all individuals associated with Division III to observe and celebrate the impact of athletics and of student-athletes on the campus and surrounding community. For more information, click here.
Winter Championship Selection Shows
Find more information on the Division III winter championship selections here.
If you are looking to diversify an athletics applicant pool, remember that the governance staff has created a Division III diversity database. The database identifies all past female and ethnic minority intern and grant participants, as well as participants in any additional Division III diversity programming (e.g., Senior Woman Administrator Program, Student Immersion and Institute for Administrative Advancement). To date, we have identified over 300 individuals. The database provides current positions and contact information. If you want access to the database, please email Gillian Burns.
Diversity Spotlight Initiative
Bridgewater State (MA) is the recipient of the January Division III Diversity Spotlight Initiative. The Student-Athlete Diversity Committee and Morgan’s Message Bridgewater State student-athlete chapter teamed up to provide a space to support students’ mental health before they take on finals. Click here for more details.
The Diversity Spotlight Initiative recognizes and promotes outstanding diversity-related projects, programming and initiatives occurring on Division III campuses and in conference offices. To submit an initiative for consideration for November, email Katie Mucci with a brief statement (no more than 500 words) as to why your school or conference office deserves to be the spotlight recipient. Attach a video or photo if applicable. The nomination deadline is Feb. 21.
Leadership development has opened the spring applications for various programs and workshops via the Program Hub. Application deadlines are 5 p.m. Eastern time March 3.
Career in Sports Forum, June 1-4, in Indianapolis is an annual educational program that brings together 200 selected NCAA student-athletes to learn about and explore potential careers in sports, particularly college athletics. This unique three-day forum helps student-athletes chart their career paths.
The Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute provides tailored programming to assist ethnic minorities in strategically mapping and planning their careers in athletics administration by providing professional development programming over the course of a calendar year, which includes one-week programs at the beginning and conclusion of that year.
The NCAA Basketball Coaches Academy provides current, full-time intercollegiate men’s and women’s basketball coaches at NCAA member schools an opportunity to expand their knowledge and insight into the world of intercollegiate basketball coaching. During the academy, selected participants will be trained in a variety of areas that encourage effective coaching at the intercollegiate level, with a focus on the holistic well-being and development of the student-athlete.
The Pathway Program is designed to elevate senior-level athletics administrators to the next step as directors of athletics or conference commissioners. This yearlong program is an intensive, experiential learning opportunity for selected participants who work at an NCAA school or conference in any division.
The NFL/NCAA Administrators Academy assists graduate assistants and interns by expanding their capacity to perform in leadership roles within college and professional athletic administration. The academy provides young professionals seeking opportunities in football administration at the collegiate and pro level with professional development resources and the necessary skills to adapt to an evolving sports business landscape.
The Effective Facilitation Workshop is an interactive professional development experience where energetic administrators and coaches receive personalized feedback on their leadership styles and gain skills in active learning and engaging facilitation.
The NCAA Division III Special Olympics Spotlight Poll is a storytelling initiative on ncaa.org/d3specialolympics. It features new stories each month that highlight a Division III and Special Olympics joint activity or event. That school or conference receives $500 to use for its next Special Olympics event. Written and digital submissions both are accepted. Featured stories are selected based on inclusion of the student-athlete perspective and Division III messaging. To submit a story for consideration, email d3specialolympics@ncaa.org.
The January NCAA Swimming and Diving Rules Newsletter can be found here under the “Updates” heading.
BASEBALL
The NCAA no longer produces a “prohibited bat list” for baseball. The NCAA Approved Bat List includes all metal and composite baseball bats permitted in NCAA play. Bats must appear on the Approved Bat List and pass the bat testing protocol (Appendix G of the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Baseball Rules) to be used during NCAA play.
The NCAA Sport Science Institute held a Summit on Cannabis in Collegiate Athletics in December 2022. The summit was held to offer better understanding on the current literature, policy and research about cannabinoids as they relate to student-athlete health and performance. Post-summit work is ongoing and will eventually result in consensus-based information and recommendations that will be reviewed by the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports to consider how it could inform education, policy and guidance on management at the school or conference level.
Save the date: The 2023 NCAA Inclusion Forum will be held in person April 21-23 in Indianapolis. For more updates and details on the program’s agenda and featured sessions, please visit this page periodically.
Eligibility Center Webinars
The Eligibility Center has hosted several webinars for the Division III membership. You can view the most recent Division III and international student-athlete webinar recordings here. The next educational session will be March 23, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. An upcoming newsletter from the Eligibility Center will provide registration information.
This email was sent to NCAA Division III presidents and chancellors, athletics direct reports, directors of athletics, faculty athletics representatives, senior woman administrators, sports information directors, directors of compliance, commissioners, assistant/associate commissioners, national Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, provisional, reclassifying and exploratory members based on contact information in the NCAA Directory.
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