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 to this year’s award winners honored at the NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. Aliceann Wilber, William Smith, received the Pat Summit Award, Alexandra Turvey, former Pomona-Pitzer swimmer, received the 2024 Woman of the Year Award, and Ronda Jo Miller, Gallaudet, and Keiko Price, current Emory director of athletics, received the Silver Anniversary Award, recognizing the 25th anniversary of the completion of their college careers. Owen Grover, Wartburg, was recognized with Today’s Top 10 Award, given to outstanding senior student-athletes from the previous academic year.
LGBTQ of the Year Recognition Awards
During the NCAA Convention, Division III announced the Division III LGBTQ of the Year recipients. The honorees were Emerald Svienty, North Central (Illinois), (student-athlete of the year), and Juliet Suess, Chapman (coach of the year). Click here for more information, including highlight videos.
The Division III Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Subcommittee is pleased to announce the launch of the updated LGBTQ OneTeam Program. To further the Division III and the Association’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, the program, created in 2019 and recently updated, is a free two-hour interactive program on a campus or conference, for coaches, administrators, and student-athletes, led by a certified facilitator. For more details and instructions on how to schedule a free program, please visit the Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Program webpage.
SAVE THE DATE: Division III Week
Mark your calendars! The annual Division III Week will be held April 7-13. Division III Week is a positive opportunity for all individuals associated with the division to observe and celebrate the impact of athletics and of student-athletes on the campus and surrounding community. During the week, every Division III school and conference office is encouraged to conduct a type of outreach activity that falls into one of three categories: academic accomplishment, athletic experience or leadership/community service/campus involvement. For more information, click here.
Sports Betting
With the Super Bowl occurring soon, the NCAA has a reminder for you and your student-athletes that betting on a pro sporting event is a sports betting violation that risks eligibility. For sports wagering resources, click here.
Division III Health and Safety Survey
The Sport Science Institute health and safety survey was sent to Division III athletics health care administrators in early December. The survey is designed to collect information on the administrative and organizational aspects of Division III sports medicine programs. Data from the survey will allow schools to assess how they compare on issues related to athletics health care delivery and administration. The survey is due no later than Feb. 7 and is to be completed by the school’s athletics trainers/athletics health care administrators. The NCAA will make the aggregate and institutional survey data available through the Division III Institutional Performance Program.
Sports Sponsorship Data Collection
The 2024-25 Sports Sponsorship data collection process will open Tuesday, April 1. Completed sports sponsorship data is due Tuesday, July 1, by 11:59 p.m. There will be a one-month correction period from Wednesday, July 2, to Monday, Aug. 4. Contest and participation data is used to ensure Division III minimum requirements are met. All institutions have an obligation to submit accurate data to assist in upholding the integrity of the NCAA. Please email Sadie Martinez (smartinez@ncaa.org) with questions.
Division III Webinars
Webinars will be from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Eastern time the first Tuesday of the month on the following dates and topics:
Feb. 4 — 2025 NCAA Convention recap.
March 4 — Federated playing rules process.
April 8 — NIL Assist.
All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III webinar webpage.
It is important to remember that an institution’s staff member or any representative of its athletics interests may not be involved, directly or indirectly, in making arrangements for or giving or offering to give any financial aid or other benefits to the prospective student-athlete or the prospective student-athlete’s relatives or friends. Doing so would be considered an impermissible offer and inducement per Bylaw 13.2.1.
However, receipt of a benefit by prospective student-athletes or their relatives or friends is not a violation of NCAA legislation, provided it is demonstrated that the same benefit is generally available to the institution’s prospective students or their relatives or friends or to a particular segment of the prospective student body determined on a basis unrelated to athletics ability.
Educational Columns
You can also now find the question-and-answer guide for each 2025 Convention proposal as published educational columns in LSDBi:
Educational Column: NCAA Division III Proposal No. 2025-1 Division III Committees – Eligibility of Membership – Student-Athlete Advisory Committee – Change in Composition.
Educational Column: NCAA Division III Proposal No. 2025-3 Legislative Authority and Process – Amend the Legislative Process.
Educational Column: NCAA Division III Proposal No. 2025-4 Federated Playing Rules Exemptions.
Educational Column: NCAA Division III Proposal No. 2025-5 Division Membership – Change of Division Membership Three-Year Provision – Establish a Waiver.
Educational Column: Educational Column - NCAA Division III Proposal No. 2025-6 National Collegiate Championship – Women’s Wrestling.
Save the Date: 2025 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar
Join us May 28-30 in Indianapolis at the 2025 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar. This announcement serves as advance notice to the membership for planning, budgeting and scheduling purposes. The Regional Rules Seminar provides an opportunity for the membership, affiliate members and others across all three divisions to discuss NCAA rules, policies and procedures, share best practices and connect with peers. Participation in the 2025 in-person Regional Rules Seminar is open to all NCAA member schools, conference offices and others associated with member schools or conferences. Registration for the seminar will begin in early spring.
To learn more about this year’s seminar you are invited to join us virtually at 2 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, Feb. 5, for an informational webinar. The webinar will highlight general information about the seminar and provide the opportunity for participants to share ideas and feedback with NCAA staff. This 30-minute webinar is open to NCAA Division I, II and III athletics administrators.
At least once every three years, an active member school must be represented by at least one institutional staff member at an NCAA Regional Rules Seminar or Conference Rules Seminar. Unsure if you need to attend? Please reference the Division III Institutions Required to Attend the 2025 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar List. You can also find this on the Regional Rules Seminar website. If you have attendance requirement questions, contact Brittany Higgins (bhiggins@ncaa.org).
ATHLETICS COMMUNICATION UPDATES
Share Your Stories
Division III is looking to feature membership stories on social media and through NCAA.com. To share stories for consideration, please email Katie Mucci at kmucci@ncaa.org.
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.
Winter Selection Shows
Find more information on the Division III winter championship selections here.
Media Coordination/Statistics Staff Contacts
To find information about whom to contact at the NCAA for media coordination and statistics, the current assignments can be found here.
Discussions about race, diversity and social justice deal with complex issues and often invoke passion and emotion. Check out this resource for tips that can help you respond to challenging questions that may arise, and keep the conversation positive and productive.
Special Olympics Unified College Championship Week is coming back this spring from April 7-11. More information regarding registration, activities and kickoff events will be shared throughout the semester. Learn more about champ week here. If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth Price.
Special Olympics Reporting Form
Share the Special Olympics activities taking place on your campus or with your conference by filling out the Special Olympics reporting form here. You can also email stories about activities to d3specialolympics@ncaa.org.
The NCAA has extended its current agreement with RefQuest Plus, its officiating services provider, and is implementing a long-term strategy to provide additional resources and tools to assist all conferences in addressing concerns about officiating. Starting with the 2024-25 academic year, the NCAA will cover the cost of the RQ+ officiating platform, including payment transaction fees and signature software costs, for Division II, Division III and single-sport conferences. Information on the Officiating Reform Initiative, including a summary and FAQ documents, is available here.
Softball
The updated softball playing rules case book and 2025 preseason playing rules reminders memo are now available here.
Wrestling
The NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee will be accepting your rules change proposals through Feb. 2. Please use this link to record your proposal and rationale. This form must be fully completed in order for the proposal to be accepted. The playing rules survey will be available in late February.
All of the following spring applications are now open and will close at 5 p.m. Eastern time March 7 in the Program Hub.
Career in Sports Forum, May 28-31 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 forum helps student-athletes chart their career paths.
The Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute, July 12-19, 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, May 7-9, 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, June 22-27, 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, April 22-25, 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, June 4-7, 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.
On behalf of the Common Ground Leadership Team, the NCAA office of inclusion is excited to announce the republication of the Common Ground Action Strategies resource, aimed at fostering collegiate athletics cultures that are respectful and safe for students and staff of all faiths, religious perspectives, sexual orientations and gender identities. This resource focuses on two institutional contexts: the climate for student-athletes of faith at public and private secular schools and the climate for LGBTQ student-athletes at private, faith-based schools. For more information about the Common Ground initiative, please click here.
Eligibility Center Updates
Recruiting a midyear grad? Know the steps they need to take to be certified by the Eligibility Center. Click here for more 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.
