From now on only conference championship teams will advance to the national championships. The #2 nationally ranked team that does not win its conference will stay home.
Nice.
From now on only conference championship teams will advance to the national championships. The #2 nationally ranked team that does not win its conference will stay home.
Nice.
Where did you hear this from?
It appears to be true.
From naia.org
NAIA Presidents Approve Direct Qualification
Decision places an emphasis on conference play
Oct. 2, 2007
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced today that following a three-year study direct qualification was approved by the Council of Presidents at its annual meeting held in Kansas City, Mo. on October 1, 2007. The presidents unanimously approved the direct qualification recommendations which will be effective beginning with 2008 fall NAIA national championships.
"This is an exciting time to be a part of the NAIA. Direct qualification will have a positive impact on the association's strategic plan and conferences' roles within the NAIA," said NAIA President and CEO Jim Carr. "I commend the direct qualification task force for its hard work and thorough study."
This decision will place an emphasis on conference play, reduce the redundancy of postseason play and provide a sound financial structure for postseason competition. Direct qualification will impact the following sports: baseball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis and volleyball.
Over the course of three years a direct qualification task force, twelve representatives from the NAIA member institutions, analyzed the guiding principles and studied championship models. The plan best achieves the following: meaningful experience for student-athletes; minimize missed class time; balance caliber of play and geographic representation; qualifiers will represent a combination of automatic qualifiers and at-large selections; only winners advance in national championship play.
The Council of Presidents took three specific action steps: 1) Approved the specific plan as presented for the eleven sports affected by direct qualification. The plan also includes a "sunset" provision that would preclude policy revision for a minimum of three years from the date of implementation; 2) Sponsored legislation for the 2008 NAIA convention consistent with recommendations of the task force, including consolidation of the responsibilities of Council of Athletics Administrators (CAA) and Council of Affiliated Conferences and Independents (CACI) into the National Administrative Council (NAC) and modification of membership on the National Coordinating Committee; 3) Charged a transition and implementation committee to assure adequate representation of key stakeholder groups and a smooth transition to direct qualification by September 2008. The transition and implementation committee will be in place as soon as possible to begin the work of each national championship affected by this vote.
The following direct qualifications models were approved:
Baseball - 45 teams in 9 opening-round tournaments - 9 winners (and host) advance to 10-team final
Men's and Women's Cross Country - 32 men's and 32 women's teams - direct to final site
Men's Golf - 30 teams (maximum) - direct to final site
Women's Golf - 24 teams (maximum) - direct to final site
Men's and Women's Soccer - 30 men's and 30 women's teams in first-round campus pairings - 15 men's and 15 women's teams (plus hosts) to 16-team final
Softball - 32 teams - direct to final site
Men's and Women's Tennis - 24 men's and 24 women's teams - direct to final site
Volleyball - Top 11 seeds receive first-round bye - 24 lowest seeds in 12 first-round campus pairings - 12 winners join top 11 seeds (and host) in 24-team final
For detailed information, refer to the "Task Force Central" link located on the NAIA membership services website. Please click here to be directed.
NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is the governing body for athletics programs at its nearly 300 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. The long-held mission of the NAIA is to promote the education and development of well-rounded students and productive citizens through intercollegiate athletics. The association offers equitable access and opportunities for participation in its 23 national championship events held annually throughout the country.
Today, the NAIA strengthens its commitment to student-athletes and strives to enrich their college experience by supporting academic achievement and character development. NAIA Champions of Character is the association's innovative flagship program designed to instill character values in student-athletes, coaches and youth in the communities it serves.
This is so stupid! I am ashamed and appalled to be a student athlete in the NAIA, this crap is just ignorant...did they even look at past results to see how this would work? I doubt it. I would be happy if the NAIA dissolved tommorow.
So are you saying that there will be no at-large qualifiers whatsoever? There are only 25 conferences in the NAIA (I believe). How will they fill in the rest of the field? What will happen to independent institutions? There are some conferences that are much, much better than others, so it seems pretty ridiculous to set up a system in which a top 5 team (potential national champion) from a very good conference may not qualify for the championships while a mediocre team from a bad conference can qualify. Could this really become a reality?
I'm pretty sure there will be 7 at large berths.
feel free to send the "task force" a message and let them know how ridiculous this is. I have never heard of a less thought through idea with SO many obvious flaws...way to go NAIA way to go...it will be great...did they even think that there are SEVERAL conferences with NO teams ranked in the top 25 or even receiving votes and then their are conferences with 3-5 in the top 25 some with several in the top 15...this is just dumb.
what about independent institutions?
I transfered to the NAIA this year from a D1 university and it is stuff like this that makes me wish I would have stayed D1.
What the heck kinda rule is this? My coach and I were talking about this a few days ago and how it would affect our team.
How does this affect individual quailifiers at the conference meet that are not on the first place team?
fanofNAIA...notSOmuchNOW wrote:
I transfered to the NAIA this year from a D1 university and it is stuff like this that makes me wish I would have stayed D1.
I have been in the NAIA for three years and have always defended it against those that claimed it was second rate...but here lately I am starting to agree...and this just pushes me over the edge...I like my school but if I could do it again I would seriously consider going NCAA just becuase the NAIA is getting to be such a joke, no enforcement of rules, no support from the association, stupid rules, terrible bureaucracy...thank goodness this is my last year...I will no longer support the failure the NAIA is becoming.
The result of such a move would make for a far less competitive national championship.
Just look at GSAC from last year to see why this is stupid.
Concordia -GSAC champs- 2nd place NAIA Nationals
APU-GSAC 3rd place NAIA Nationals
Westmont-GSAC 6th place NAIA Nationals.
The NAIA really sucks! Time after time I defended the NAIA. NO more, NAIA blows. Im going to an NCAA div2 or div3 school.
i really am ashamed to be in the naia. Not because of this decision, but because of how stupid you all are to just read the words "direct qualifier" and "32 teams at nationals" and assume this is a bad thing.
If any of you in your infinite wisdom were able to do any research on your own you would already have found this link:
http://naia.cstv.com/member-services/NAIADirectQualificationTaskForceCentral.htm
and checked out the "task force recommendations", then found the chart on page 4 comparing the new and old formats, instead of just going off and turning your backs on the naia and insulting it.
lets begin:
We currently have 28 teams qualify, we'll now have 32.
We currently have 13 automatic qualifiers, we'll now have 14 plus one "true independant", plus the host school, plus 16-17 AT LARGE BIDS (you dumb idiot letsrunners). They also figure that 140 days of class we're previously being missed, whereas now it will only be 74. They will also only require 92 hotel nights compared to the 156 they used to need.
OH MY SAILBOATS!! it's so bad... more of us will be running at nationals!! ahhhhh, everybody quick, run for the NCAA!!!
Conference qualifying does suck but it is how it had been done all the way up to 2001. No one complained then. Rarely do the teams that need to be there not get in. Independents pull at large berths as well. Individuals typically go top 7 not on the winning team. I still agree it sucks but do some homework before you totally cry about it.
oh p.s, not an american here. I believe that's why I didn't just panic and scream fire with everybody else.
guys, seriously, it doesn't even have to be an all the time thing... just try and use your heads a couple times a month and see what you can pull together. It's really amazing how collectively stupid you are capable of being (this message board, not america).
the american comment was unnecessary, my apologies. i just had a run in with a really ignorant american and that combined the frustration of this thread just spilled over. some americans are great, and surely would have figured this out sooner or later.
The Rocket wrote:
The result of such a move would make for a far less competitive national championship.
Just look at GSAC from last year to see why this is stupid.
Concordia -GSAC champs- 2nd place NAIA Nationals
APU-GSAC 3rd place NAIA Nationals
Westmont-GSAC 6th place NAIA Nationals.
and on top of those three, cal state san marcos took 8th or 9th and is an independent school. how are they supposed to go to nationals if their independent. Well thats the last straw. im out
last straw wrote:
and on top of those three, cal state san marcos took 8th or 9th and is an independent school. how are they supposed to go to nationals if their independent. Well thats the last straw. im out
are you kidding? did you not even read what I just wrote?
PEOPLE PLEASE STOP BEING STUPID!
USE YOUR BRAIN!
RESEARCH!
I cannot believe you are all (claiming to be) in post-secondary school.
I've come to realize reading is something most Letsrunners simply don't understanding. They would rather have someone tell them something regardless of how true it is.
So, yes the conferences will qualify teams to nationals, but there will also be at-large teams. Problems solved. Basically, you have more teams at nationals. You'll have a lot who have no business there, but you had that with the current system as well.
Alan
i've said it before, i'll say it again, NAIA (as we know it) will cease to exist in 2010. the top programs of the GSAC schools are considering the move to NCAA Div 2, including APU, BIOLA, Cal Baptist, CUI, and Westmont. Vanguard, Fresno Pacific and Christian Heritage are on the fence about it, but will probably make the move eventually.