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.