The Division III Field Hockey Committee is recommending to the Division III Championships Committee that teams must play a minimum of 12 games against varsity opponents in order to be eligible for the championship, starting in 2004-05.

"There are similar requirements made in other sports," said field hockey committee Chair Charlyn Robert, athletics director at Nichols College. "As a committee, we would like to ensure that the teams selected to the championship have earned the selection by playing a Division III schedule."

The committee, which met February 18-19 in Indianapolis, also reviewed the selection criteria the Championships Committee adopted for all team sports. The criteria includes record against ranked teams (regional rankings will be conducted each of the four weeks before selections). The committee determined it would rank 22 percent of teams in each region will be ranked next season. The breakdown per region includes eight teams in the South, seven in the South Atlantic, six in the New England West, five in the North Atlantic, five in the New England East and three in the Great Lakes.

Since a strength-of-schedule index will be used for the first time in 2003, the committee is going to make every effort to collect score reporting forms from each institution in a timely fashion. The strength-of-schedule index is impacted by each team's performance, not just those that are under consideration for selection to the championship.

"With a new strength-of-schedule index, it is imperative that each institution submit score reporting forms in a timely fashion throughout the season," Robert said. "The index to be used in 2003 is based on a team's winning percentage as it progresses though the season and emphasizes results at home and on the road. The committee will need full cooperation from every institution in submitting updated reports."

Experimental rules

The committee voted to adopt two experimental rules that will be used next year at the international level in an effort to stay consistent with the FIH playing rules. The Divisions I and II Field Hockey Committees would need to approve both experimental rules, however, since playing rules are not federated.

The first experimental rule eliminates the requirement to stop the ball on a penalty corner, essentially allowing an attack player to swing for the goal without first controlling the ball.

"To adopt 'control' versus 'stop' on the corner will perhaps bring a smile to many faces," Robert said. "This is something quite a few Division III coaches have hoped would happen. Some see this as an opportunity of advantage going back to the attack on a penalty corner. In the past, without a 'dead stop,' the defense regained possession with a 16-yard hit."

The other experimental rule allows a defender to raise her stick above her shoulders to stop a shot on goal, previously a violation.

In other action, the committee will ask the Divisions I and II Field Hockey Committees jointly survey the membership to determine how many institutions are playing on turf fields and how many are playing on grass fields, as well as how many coaches are part time vs. full time. Each division's championships committee also must agree to the survey.

The committee also noted that the Division III Championships Committee has recommended a change the date formula for the national semifinals and championship game in 2003-04. The games will be played Friday and Saturday, rather than Saturday and Sunday, to avoid conflict with Bylaw 31.1.4.1, which allows institutions to not compete on a particular day for religious reasons.