The Division I subcommittee of the NCAA Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee is working to achieve more balance in the numbers of student-athletes participating in each of the four regionals of the Division I outdoor track championships.

The subcommittee believes that balanced fields will result in a more comparable advancement procedure at each of the regionals, which currently may stage more heats to advance participants at one site than another, and occasionally may stage only a final without preliminaries.

Subcommittee members did not finalize a realignment plan to achieve that balance during their June 24-30 meeting in Bonita Springs, Florida, but they did agree to preliminary targets for assigning the approximately 3,200 student-athletes who compete in the four regionals.

Under the developing plan, the subcommittee would assign approximately 850 student-athletes to the East region (compared to the 1,015 participants who competed there in 2005); 775 to the Mideast region (compared to 865); 775 to the Midwest region (compared to 700); and 750 to the West region (compared to 600).

The subcommittee is responding to interest recently expressed by coaches in achieving a more comparable qualifying experience at each of the regional meets.

As an example, multiple qualifying heats were staged in the men's 200-meter dash at three of the four 2005 regional sites -- three heats (plus the final) at the Midwest regional and four heats each (plus the finals) at the Mideast and East regionals. However, there were only eight entries in that event at the West regional, and only a final was run.

In 16 events in which preliminary heats typically are run, 11 events at the East regional required at least four preliminary heats, with one -- the men's 400-meter hurdles -- requiring six heats. In comparison, only four events at the West regional required as many as four heats. Ten events at the Mideast regional needed more than three heats, while only four events at the Midwest regional required more than three heats.

The subcommittee considered other options for balancing the regions, including the possibility of reducing the number of regions from four to three, but decided that other approaches would prompt undesired changes in current qualification procedures.

The subcommittee will finalize its realignment proposal for consideration at the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet's September meeting.

In other actions, the subcommittee:

* Recommended federation of the Men's and Women's Track Committee into Divisions I, II and III committees, as well as a separate Men's and Women's Track and Field Rules Committee. The Division I subcommittee noted its members' responsibility for administering championship in each of the NCAA's three competitive seasons -- the fall cross country championships, winter indoor track and field championships, and spring outdoor track and field championships -- as well as its unique responsibility for the four outdoor regional meets and the additional demands of responsibility for rules in making the recommendation.

* Established budget priorities for the next two-year cycle, assigning top priority to funding institutions' participation in both the indoor and outdoor championships. Division I currently funds a school's participation in one of those meets.

* Recommended budgeting funds during the next two-year budget cycle to pay fees for additional officials at the outdoor championships and indoor championships, noting that most officials currently work on a volunteer basis. In a related action, the subcommittee recommended creating an officials' improvement program, to broaden the pool of potential officials for the championships. Prospective officials would be required to attend a clinic at one of several sites around the country to be selected as a fee-earning official at the championships.

Division II

The Division II subcommittee, during its separate meeting in Bonita Springs, proposed changes in the travel party for men's and women's cross country to put that sport on the same footing as other individual-team sports.

Currently, one nonathlete is permitted to accompany a travel party of up to seven athletes, but the subcommittee recommended to the Division II Championships Committee that a second nonathlete be added to accompany five or more athletes.

One nonathlete would accompany a travel party of one to four athletes, as currently is permitted in outdoor track.

The subcommittee also suggested topics to the Division II Track and Field Coaches Association to include in its annual survey of track coaches.

It asked the association to solicit feedback on a proposal by Division I to seek federation of the NCAA Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee and establish a separate rules committee (see Division I subcommittee actions).

It also suggested asking coaches for their views on whether the last date for accepting qualifying marks for the Division II Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships should be moved closer to the date for selecting the championships field.

Currently, the last date for qualifying occurs nine days before the selection date. The subcommittee, noting that Divisions I and III permit qualification through the weekend before the selection date for their championships, is interested in learning whether coaches favor lengthening the qualifying period.

Division III

The Division III subcommittee, noting "last-chance" meets rarely are scheduled on the final Saturday of qualifying for the Division III Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, agreed to move its qualifying period deadline up by one day.

As a result, qualifying will end at 11:59 p.m. Friday (in 2006, May 19) in the competitor's time zone, with the declaration process to be conducted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (May 20). Selections also will be completed a day earlier, on Sunday afternoon (May 21).

The subcommittee also agreed to a modification in events at the Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships, deciding to eliminate preliminary heats in the men's and women's 1,600-meter relays.

Instead, the event will be run in timed section finals, with the fastest time in the sections claiming top points in the event. The subcommittee anticipates two sections in the event.

The subcommittee also recommended sites for the 2006 outdoor championships and 2007 indoor and Division III Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships, which subsequently were endorsed by the Division III Championships Committee.

It continues to solicit bids for the 2007 cross country championships, and interested hosts should submit information by November 1 to Kristin Steckmesser, NCAA assistant director of championships.

Like the Divisions I and II subcommittees, the Division III subcommittee also discussed the proposed federation of the track and field committee. Subcommittee members will seek reactions to the proposal from Division III coaches and from the membership.