The NCAA News - News & Features

Stats now available via Web site

The addition of regular-season statistics to the Web site means that statistical reports now can be accessed though the Collegiate Sports Network on Compuserve, by fax-on-demand and through the Web site. Because the options involve technology available to almost anybody in a higher education setting, The NCAA News will publish only final statistical reports, effective immediately.

The Association compiles statistics in football, women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's ice hockey, baseball, women's softball, and men's and women's lacrosse. The News will publish final statistics at the end of the seasons for those sports, as a matter of record.

David Pickle, editor-in-chief of the News, said the decision to discontinue regular-season statistics in the News is based on the fact that the reports can be obtained elsewhere in a much more timely manner.

"We know it takes a three to seven days for the News to be delivered," Pickle said, "and during that time, the statistics become outdated. We had continued to publish them as a service to smaller institutions that might not have modem-equipped computers or fax machines. However, we believe the number of schools in that category now is so small that we no longer can justify the cost of publishing and mailing regular-season statistics when we weigh the expense against the benefit.

"We know that for some sports and institutions, there is a promotional benefit from printing the stats in a publication that is distributed nationally, even if the information is slightly dated. But we have surveyed our readership, and the survey did confirm that few people use the News to acquire sports statistics."

Statistics will be available online and via fax on the following days during the applicable seasons:

Division I-A and I-AA football -- Sunday.

Divisions II and III football -- Tuesday.

Division I women's volleyball -- Wednesday.

Divisions II and III women's volleyball -- Thursday.

All other sports -- Tuesday.

The address for NCAA Online is http://www.ncaa.org/. Once an individual calls up the Web page, an easy-to-use directory will guide the user to the statistics section.

For those without access to a computer, statistics are available through fax-on-demand. Users can call Info Connection, a 24-hour-a-day service, at 770/399-3060. The call must be made using the handset of a fax machine.

The system will request that that caller enter an NCAA passcode. The passcode for member institutions is 1915; for the general public, it is 1925. Media representatives should call 770/399-3066 and use 1905.

After keying in the appropriate identification passcode, a caller then may request information by using numbers provided through a directory. The directory is available through the fax-on-demand system; it also will be published in the September 16 issue of The NCAA News.

Beginning this fall, each issue of the News will contain instructions on how to access statistics through the Web site or by fax.