In an effort to continue to mitigate travel challenges in NCAA championship competition, the Division I Championships Cabinet has agreed to extend the mileage-limitation threshold used for fall championships to winter and spring postseason events as well.

The recommendation implemented this fall increased the mileage-limitation threshold from 350 to 400 miles in sports other than basketball and increased the policy regarding ground commutes from the nearest airport to the championships site from 120 to 150 miles.

While the cabinet voted to extend those provisions to winter and spring sports, members also approved an increase in the mileage-limitation threshold for men’s and women’s basketball from 300 to 350 and the airport-commute mileage threshold from 120 to 150 – an action supported by the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees.

The cabinet implemented the measures during a recent conference call in which members continued their review of financial and flight-capacity issues related to championships travel. The cabinet examined the effect of the “tier one” and “tier two” recommendations the group adopted in September, noting that the changes thus far appear to have resulted in reduced travel costs and few or no travel problems that affected the championships. As of December 1, for example, the increased mileage limitation has helped reduce the number of commercial flights by 19 compared with the number of flights at the same time in 2007. On average, the increased travel time increase has been relatively minimal.

Preliminary reviews from the fall championships also show a reduction in the number of charter flights – and a dip in the average cost of those flights.

In addition to the mileage restrictions, an NCAA software program that sport committees in all three divisions have at their disposal for the first time may have contributed to the reductions. The new bracketing software quickly calculates and compares trip distances based on how teams are bracketed, thus enabling committee members to explore more options. So far, that software – and the mileage restrictions – have garnered good reviews from committee chairs who believe they have added to their bracketing toolkit without compromising the competitive integrity of the field.

“The changes that had the most impact were increasing the travel radius from 350 to 400 miles and using the software that helped determine flights,” said Barry Clements, the senior associate athletics director at South Florida and chair of the Division I Women’s Soccer Committee. “Both of those gave us some flexibility to place some teams in different locations (than in past years).”

The new software was among the “tier one” recommendations that all three divisions employed this fall to manage the ever-changing travel-industry environment. Other tier-one recommendations included:

•         Revising bracket selection times to allow a minimum of 48 hours between selection release to the time a team has to depart for the championship site.

•         Adjusting practice times at the championship site to take advantage of the best travel options for participating teams.

•         Amending travel policies to reimburse baggage charges for up to two bags per traveler.

While tier-one recommendations required no legislative action, the tier-two proposal of increasing the mileage limitation needed approval from the Division I Championships Cabinet. That occurred in September, and now, after considering feedback from the membership and the travel-related data from the fall championships, the cabinet has agreed to implement the changes for winter and spring championships and to extend the mileage limitation threshold for men’s and women’s basketball.

“While many variables will continue to impact travel costs, the cabinet expressed cautious optimism that these changes will continue to reduce challenges related to championships travel,” said Joni Comstock, NCAA senior vice president for championships.

Comstock said the cabinet would continue to be diligent in its efforts to promote cost-effective championships while safeguarding the championships experience for student-athletes. She said the cabinet will review travel-related data, current conditions and feedback from the membership on all championships during a summer 2009 conference call and determine whether changes should remain in effect. 

“The focus of the cabinet is to protect the championship experiences and even enhance them for our student-athletes and coaches while we manage costs and travel-industry changes that can have a direct impact on our events,” Comstock said. “This challenge and opportunity will be an ongoing process for the cabinet and our staff.”