The NCAA News - News and Features

February 23, 1998

Women's panels discuss sites, automatic qualification

The Divisions I, II and III Women's Soccer Committees discussed site selection, automatic qualification and future sites during their February 1-6 meetings in Kansas City, Missouri.

In Division I, the committee voted to recommend that San Jose State University host the 1999 and 2000 championships. The committee also prepared for the possibility of an expanded bracket for the 1998 championship.

The Division II committee worked with the Division II Men's Soccer Committee to achieve commonality in regional alignment and the criteria used to rate individual teams. The committees also discussed the possibility of predetermined sites for future championships.

Automatic-qualification principles dominated discussion in the Division III committee, as did regional-bid allocation and team-selection criteria.

Actions taken by all three committees are listed below.

Division I

San Jose State would host the Division I championship for the first time and would provide a West Coast site for the championship for only the third time in the event's history, under the Division I Women's Soccer Committee's recommendation for the 1999 and 2000 site.

A record number of spectators witnessed the 1997 championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, and committee chair Kathy E. Lindahl of Michigan State University said the committee believes the number will continue to grow in the coming years.

"The sport of women's soccer is fortunate to have an institution located within a tremendous soccer community so dedicated to hosting these events," Lindahl said of San Jose State. "The West Coast has proven itself as a tremendous area for the student-athletes and spectators to enjoy the weekend of women's soccer. We expect San Jose State to continue the outstanding tradition of this event."

The committee determined that it would seek proposals for 2001 and beyond during the fall and winter of 1999 and select the site(s) during its February 2000 annual meeting.

The committee also prepared for the possibility of an expanded bracket after learning that the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet had approved an increase in the bracket for the fourth time in five years. The bracket, which was as small as 12 teams as recently as 1993, will grow to 48 teams in 1998 pending final approval from the Division I Business/Finance Cabinet, the Division I Management Council and the Division I Board of Directors.

In the new format, the first round would feature 32 teams paired geographically at campus sites, and 16 additional teams would receive first-round byes. Each round of competition thereafter would be conducted at campus sites until the semifinals and final, which would be conducted at a predetermined site (the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, in 1998).

If the 48-team bracket gains final approval, which could come as late as July, all conferences would receive automatic qualification and there would be no play-in games.

Should the proposal be delayed or defeated, however, the committee has determined automatic-qualifying conferences and play-in conferences for the 1998 championship. The automatic-qualifying conferences are the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10, Southeastern, West Coast and Western Athletic Conferences; the Colonial Athletic Association; and the Ivy Group.

Twelve additional conferences were granted play-in games as follows (home conference listed first): Atlantic 10 Conference vs. Northeast Conference; Big West Conference vs. Missouri Valley Conference; Patriot League vs. Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; Conference USA vs. Midwestern Collegiate Conference; America East vs. Trans America Athletic Conference;