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.
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; athletics experience; or leadership/community service/campus involvement. For more information, click here.
LGBTQ of the Year Recognition Awards
The 2025 LGBTQ of the Year Awards nomination application period is now open. For the award criteria, click here. Visit the NCAA Program Hub to submit nominations until June 1.
DEADLINE APPROACHING: College Sports Communicators Student Program
For the seventh time, Division III will support a cohort of students who are women and/or students of color to attend the annual College Sports Communicators convention through the Division III CSC Student Program. This year, the cohort will double in size to 16 students.
Students who meet the following criteria will be given preference:
Female and/or students of color.
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 2025 CSC convention, the selected students will participate in Division III Day and be exposed to the College Sports Communicators convention programming, 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 to diversify the Division III athletics communication landscape.
The nomination/application process will be available on the NCAA Program Hub through 5 p.m. Eastern time March 14.
Winter Selection Shows
Find more information on the Division III winter championship selections here.
Division III Health and Safety Survey
The Division III health and safety survey was sent to all athletics health care administrators. In total, 234 schools completed the survey. The data from this year’s survey will be incorporated into the NCAA Division III Institutional Performance Program this summer. Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey.
Sports Sponsorship Data Collection
The 2024-25 sports sponsorship data collection process will open Tuesday, April 1. Completed sports sponsorship data is due by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, July 1. 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 schools 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.
Graduation Rates Data Collection
The 2024-25 graduation rates data collection process will open Monday, March 3. Completed graduation rates data is due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, June 1. Please reach out to 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:
March 4 – Federated playing rules process.
April 8 – NIL Assist.
May 6 – Recap of Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Management Council and Presidents Council meetings.
All past webinar PowerPoints are on the Division III webinar webpage.
When an institution is participating in a foreign tour, it must certify in writing that it has met the conditions in Bylaw 17.32.1. Further, there are three areas to focus on when planning a foreign tour:
Timing: A foreign tour may occur once every three years during the summer-vacation period between the institution's spring and fall terms or during any other vacation period published in the institution's official catalog. All travel to and from the foreign country must take place during that vacation period (Bylaw 17.32.1.4).
Eligibility: To accompany the team on a tour that occurs during the academic year, student-athletes must be regularly enrolled and eligible for intercollegiate competition. If the tour is taking place during the summer, the student-athletes must have been enrolled at the institution as a full-time student during the previous academic year and have established by the beginning of the tour that they are eligible for competition for the academic year immediately after the tour (Bylaw 17.32.1.6).
Eligible incoming student-athletes may only go on a foreign tour that begins after the permissible starting practice date in their sport or after the first day of classes of the first regular term at the institution (Bylaws 17.32.1.6.1 and 17.32.1.6.1.1).
Practice Opportunity: Ten days of practice are permitted before a team’s departure. Those days do not have to be consecutive if there are extenuating circumstances (like exams, convocation, etc.) but must occur during the 20 calendar days immediately before the foreign tour departure date. Only student-athletes who will accompany the team on the foreign tour are permitted to participate in the 10 practice days (Bylaw 17.32.1.7).
2025 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar Registration
Mark your calendars for the week of March 10 to register for the 2025 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar scheduled May 28-30 in Indianapolis.
Once registration opens, an announcement will be posted on the Regional Rules Seminar webpage along with a link to help interested attendees register for the seminar. Additional communication regarding the opening of registration will be posted and shared across various channels, including targeted messaging to 2024 Regional Rules Seminar attendees, the top five from each NCAA school, conference commissioners and senior conference compliance administrators. NCAA member schools and conferences are encouraged to register once the link is available. Additional information about the seminar will continue to be available on the seminar webpage.
Division III attendees may attend the 2025 NCAA Regional Rules Seminar through one of these methods:
Attending in-person May 28-30 in Indianapolis.
Viewing the livestream of the Division III sessions.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Association-wide programming will occur throughout the three-day event. Division III sessions will begin Thursday, May 29, and conclude by late afternoon Friday, May 30. Division III member schools required to attend the 2025 Regional Rules Seminar may complete the requirement only by attending the in-person seminar in Indianapolis. Viewing the Division III Regional Rules Seminar sessions via livestream will NOT reset the once-in-three-years attendance requirement.
Division III Attendance Requirement
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.
NCAA and D3SIDA Recognition Award
The winter NCAA Division III and D3SIDA Recognition Award recipient is Antonio Arredondo of George Fox with the feature “This Moment Means Something.”
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 May 15. For more information, click here.
Media Coordination/Statistics Staff Contacts
The current contacts at the NCAA for media coordination and statistics can be found here.
DEADLINE APPROACHING: Institute for Administrative Advancement. The NCAA Division III governance staff is excited to host the 12th annual Division III Institute for Administrative Advancement. The institute is scheduled for June 6-8 in conjunction with the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association Symposium and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Convention in Orlando, Florida. The NCAA will pay for travel, hotel and per diem for up to 30 selected participants to participate in the institute (June 6-7) and the MOAA Symposium on June 8. The primary purpose of the institute is to provide the selected participants from underrepresented populations with a unique experience to learn more about themselves as administrators, gain additional skills and tools to grow within their current roles and leave better prepared to advance into more senior administrative roles within Division III. The nomination and application process is available on Program Hub, titled “2025 Division III Institute for Administrative Advancement,” until 5 p.m. Eastern time Monday, March 17.
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 (eprice@specialolympics.org).
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’s current agreement with RefQuest, its officiating services provider, is part of its long-term strategy to provide additional resources and tool to assist all conferences in addressing concerns with officiating. In 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.
Men's Lacrosse
The NCAA Men's Lacrosse Rules Committee is accepting your rules change proposals to be considered for discussion at its annual meeting in June. Although this is a non-change year, the committee is interested in your ideas and concerns relative to playing rules you think need to be changed. Please use this link to record your proposal and rationale. This form must be fully completed in order for the proposal to be accepted. All proposals must be received by Thursday, March 13, 2025. If you have any questions about the rules change process, please contact Connor Lancashire (clancashire@ncaa.org).
Women's Lacrosse
The NCAA Women's Lacrosse Rules Committee is accepting your rules change proposals to be considered for discussion at its annual meeting in June. The committee is interested in your ideas and concerns relative to playing rules you think need to be changed. Please use this link to record your proposal and rationale. This form must be fully completed in order for the proposal to be accepted. All proposals must be received by Thursday, March 13, 2025. If you have any questions about the rules change process, please contact Connor Lancashire (clancashire@ncaa.org).
Softball
The updated softball playing rules case book and 2025 preseason playing rules reminders memo are now available here. The NCAA Softball Rules Committee will be accepting your rules change proposals through March 2. Please use this link to record your proposal and rationale. This form must be fully completed for the proposal to be accepted. Should you have any questions, please contact Ashlee Follis (afollis@ncaa.org).
Tennis
The NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Rules Subcommittee is now accepting your rules change proposals, which will be reviewed by the rules subcommittee and shared with the ITA for consideration during its rules change process. The Tennis Rules Subcommittee also will review the ITA rules changes and discuss potential rules modifications during the rules-making process. The ITA also will be sending a Call for Proposals to coaches soon. Coaches do not need to submit proposals to both the NCAA and ITA. Please use this link to record your proposal and rationale. This form must be fully completed in order for the proposal to be accepted. All proposals must be received by March 25, 2025. If you have any questions about the proposal process, please contact Jay Fitzwater (jfitzwater@ncaa.org).
Wrestling
The NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee’s playing rules survey is currently available and will close March 16. Coaches and administrators should’ve received an email Feb. 25 with the link to the rules survey. If you need the link, please contact Ashlee Follis (afollis@ncaa.org). The rules committee will meet April 28-30 for its annual meeting. It is a rules change year.
DEADLINE APPROACHING: Leadership Development Programs
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.
Need to submit a matriculation date or a request an expedited review from the Eligibility Center? Click hereto learn more about these two processes and how the Eligibility Center can help.
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.
