Newly formed group hopes its 'single-category' format approach for postseason event is a stroke of genius

While not exactly sea changes, the debut championship in Division III women's rowing will alter its appearance from the National Collegiate format of the past five years.

Proposals were laid out by the Division III Women's Rowing Committee during its inaugural meeting July 15-18 in Indianapolis, which also is the site of next year's championship. Eagle Creek Reservoir hosts the event May 31 and June 1 in conjunction with the Divisions I and II championships.

"We are very excited about joining the Divisions I and II championships," said Lynn Oberbillig, director of athletics at Smith College and chair of the committee. "A bigger regatta with all divisions will increase the excitement for everyone. It will be a great inaugural event for us to be in Indianapolis, home of the NCAA and the home of U.S. Rowing."

The committee expects to have either a six- or eight-team field and currently awaits declarations for automatic qualification by conferences. The bracket's size will be reviewed again in September, and the Division III Championships Committee must approve all proposals.

Changes planned for the 2002 debut include each team fielding boats for I Eights and II Eights competition only -- breaking from the National Collegiate format of also racing Fours. In addition, all I Eight and II Eight boats will compete in the same races.

"Our Division III theory is to name the champion team in the country, and that will be done by how a school's two boats finish in a 12- or 16-team race," Oberbillig said. "There is a good possibility that some school's second boats are fast enough to beat some first boats from other schools. We believe these second boats should have a chance to do so. If they can, there is an even clearer picture of which team is the best in the country."

Oberbillig notes the novelty of this idea for the sport of rowing, which historically has rowed in categories.

"We are taking a big step away from that idea and saying we are looking for a team that has the fastest boats," she said.

The committee also is allowing for free substitutions throughout the year until race day, when lineups must be locked in. And all team scoring will equal the numerical finish -- first place receives one point, second place two points, etc.

"Our scoring system will give points to all 16 boats in the order of finish," Oberbillig said. "One school's I Eight might finish fourth, earning four points, and its second boat finishes 10th, earning 10 points.

"For simplicity, it will be easy for the spectator and the participants to figure out where their team is in the team standings. With this system, the first boats and second boats are equally weighted when calculating the team champion."

The team with the fewest overall points wins the championship.

Selection criteria for the championship field will be the following, with no order of preference:

Eligibility and availability of student-athletes;

Head-to-head competition;

Late-season performance;

Regional rankings;

Results against regionally ranked teams;

Results against teams already selected; and

Results from season-ending regatta.

The committee plans to publish regional rankings April 16 and April 30, during which it will rank the top five teams in I Eights and II Eights from each region.

For the championship, the committee will seed the top three I Eights and place one boat in each heat. The committee will draw the remaining Eights and place them in sequential order in heats (that is, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, etc.). The II Eights then will be drawn for sequential placement into heats, but cannot be in the same heat as their I Eights boat.

Finally, the committee agreed to allow teams a travel party of 25 that would include 21 student-athletes (squad size) and four nonathletes.

"We certainly will review the championship after the first year," Oberbillig said, "to determine such things as whether we will continue to hold the our regatta at the same site and at the same time as Division I."

Joining Oberbillig on the committee are Michael Alton, Vassar College; Mike Davenport, Washington College (Maryland); Elizabeth Emery, Wesleyan University (Connecticut); Judy McMullen, Lewis and Clark College; and Becky Robinson, Ithaca College.