The Division I Women's Soccer Committee discussed formats for the Division I Women's Soccer Championship during the committee's annual meeting February 10-12 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Though no changes were proposed, committee members reviewed the current championship format with an eye toward possible revision. The group, however, decided to continue the current format for 2003 and conduct additional research before pondering changes at the committee's February 2004 meeting.

"The committee considered three things while discussing the tournament format: the quality of the tournament, financial impact and student-athlete welfare," said committee Chair Barbara Walker, associate athletics director at Wake Forest University.

The committee is encouraging all institutions to submit a bid to host any round of the championship so that everyone will have an equal opportunity to host in case they are selected to the championship field. Once selection weekend arrives, the committee cannot accept other bids to host, and regardless of seed, an institution that did not submit a bid would not host.

Regarding selection criteria, the committee is reminding the membership that "eligibility and availability of student-athletes during championship competition" is a secondary factor and relates to championship competition only. A student-athlete who does or does not participate in a regular-season game has no impact on selections. A .500 win-loss record also is required for selection consideration and is not a guarantee of selection to the field.

A bonus/penalty system will be implemented for the rating-percentage index (RPI) during the 2003 season. The intent of the new system is to reward teams for playing and beating good teams and penalize teams for playing and losing to poor teams. Committee members emphasize that the RPI is one of many tools used to review results and determine teams for selection to the championship.

Additional selection information includes eliminating first-round conference match-ups, effective with the 2003 championship. Also beginning with the 2003 championship, the committee will be able to seed 16 teams, with the remainder of the teams being paired according to geographic proximity.

In considering student-athlete welfare, the committee will forward a proposal to the Championships/Competition Cabinet to permit two additional student-athletes in uniform, allowing 24 uniformed student-athletes on the bench (28 members paid per diem), with a bench limit of 30.

In relation to introductions during the championship, the entire team will be recognized, with each individual stepping forward or waving when announced.

In other business, the committee forwarded a proposal for 29 automatic-qualifying conferences for the Championships/Competition Cabinet to consider in June.

Finally, the group recommended that Colleen Lim, associate athletics director at Yale University, succeed Walker as chair in September.