The Division II Championships Committee has recommended that the drug-testing pilot program in Division II baseball be extended through the 2002-03 academic year.

The Championships Committee, which met June 25-28 in San Francisco, believes it needs more data to evaluate whether the division should continue year-round drug testing in baseball. The original baseball pilot program covered the period from January through May 2002, during which time two randomly selected baseball student-athletes were tested at each of the 74 institutions that sponsor both football and baseball (the baseball testing program was conducted in tandem with the year-round football program to avoid additional expense).

Ultimately, the Championships Committee decided that the baseball study was inconclusive and that another year of data collection is necessary before it is possible to determine whether to implement a year-round program permanently. The study was undertaken because of reports of increasing anabolic steroid use in baseball.

Results from the pilot program are used only for research purposes. Student-athletes who test positive are not subject to eligibility consequences, unlike those who test positive through the championships or year-round programs.

The committee also made significant recommendations involving women's championships.

First, it asked that the Management Council recommend sponsorship of legislation for the 2003 Convention to establish a National Collegiate Bowling Championship that would begin in 2003-04. The committee noted that 39 institutions currently sponsor the sport on a varsity basis, with one additional institution planning to add the sport for 2002-03.

Other committees have noted that Blacks appear to constitute a large percentage of women's bowling participants, which could help diversify women's athletics opportunities. At the moment, women's sports feature few minority participants outside of basketball and track.

The committee is recommending an eight-team bowling championship, with each team consisting of nine members. The annual cost, which would be paid through Association-wide funds, is estimated at $200,000. The championship also would require the creation of a Women's Bowling Committee.

Also, the committee recommended that equestrian be re-established as an emerging sport in Division II. Equestrian previously was an emerging sport in Division II but was discontinued as one in 2001-02. The Championships Committee now believes that equestrian is growing, especially at the Division II level.

Other business

In other actions, the committee:

Recommended that the Division II Management Council amend Bylaw 31.1.4.4 to permit sports to reschedule competition to begin before noon on Sunday if extenuating circumstances arise (for example, bad weather) that otherwise would cause postponement of the championship. The committee believes that the policy change could prevent an additional day of competition in some cases.

Recommended that the Management Council adopt legislation to approve an Association-wide playing-rules oversight panel. The purpose of the panel would be to achieve greater membership oversight over playing rules administration.

* Recommended that the Management Council amend Bylaw 21.2.1.1 to establish term limits of eight years for secretary-rules editors to playing rules committees (or sports committees with playing rules responsibilities).

Approved conferences to receive automatic qualification in the following sports: men's golf, men's tennis, women's tennis and women's volleyball. The committee also clarified that a conference may not count an affiliated member as one of the six institutions competing in a sport in order for that sport to receive automatic qualification in men's and women's basketball, men's golf, softball, tennis or women's volleyball.

Approved a policy change so that the top six teams from each region will qualify for regional competition in women's golf, as opposed to the previous standard of the top 50 percent of the teams that met qualification standards from each region.

Approved a policy change to state that a team must play at least 10 Division II in-region games to be eligible for consideration for the men's and women's soccer championships, effective in 2003.

Clarified a policy to specify that for a team or individual to be eligible for the indoor track championships, qualifying marks must have been achieved using an indoor facility.

Rescinded the Division II Wrestling Committee's 2001 proposal to implement random draw procedures for weigh-ins at the championship.

Supported a recommendation from the Men's and Women's Soccer Rules Committee to adopt an overtime procedure that includes two 10-minute sudden victory overtimes during the regular season. In the postseason -- including any play-ins, conference tournaments and NCAA championship competition -- penalty kicks will follow the overtimes.

Clarified a policy that postseason conference tournament contests do not count in the strength-of-schedule index.

Clarified its policy that in selection criteria, the strength-of-schedule index must have at least as much weight as an institution's won-lost record.

Determined how provisional and reclassifying members would be treated in the championship selection process (see accompanying box). Additional information about strength-of-schedule indexes and selection criteria will appear in the September 2 issue of The NCAA News.