The Men's Lacrosse Committee voted to modify its schedule for the 2006 championship weekend at its meeting in Indianapolis August 1-4.

Instead of playing the Division III championship game at noon on Sunday and the Division II game at 3 p.m., the games will be moved to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively, with both games televised live on College Sports Television (CSTV).

Committee members believe the changes allow the participating teams and championship organizers more flexibility in scheduling events in the morning that benefit the entire championship weekend.

The NCAA Youth Education through Sports (YES) clinic will be held from 9:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday before the Divisions III and II championships, and a Division I autograph session, traditionally held at the site of the YES clinic, will be held at Lincoln Financial Field between the two games. The change in the clinic will allow participants to attend the Divisions II and III games, something that was difficult before because the events were back to back.

Moving the Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship to that same Sunday also created a third television window, allowing for an NCAA lacrosse tripleheader on CSTV. The women are scheduled to play at noon.

The change also allows Division I teams to practice on the championship field on Sunday morning.

The committee also discussed its new officials program. Those interested in officiating championship competition must attend a clinic sponsored by the NCAA to be considered. The committee will create a card system verifying that an official has attended one of the clinics at six different locations. Some officials, particularly those in the western part of the country, can request a video through their conference. However, the majority of officials are expected to attend an in-person clinic. Officials are chosen by the committees governing men's lacrosse based on recommendations made by the national assignor.

The committee also reviewed bids for the 2007 and 2008 championships and forwarded recommendations to the respective division championship bodies for consideration in September.

The group also appointed a subcommittee to select a student-athlete speaker for the championships banquet. The speaker can represent any division and does not have to be the most athletically gifted student-athlete. Officials hope the representative will be able to discuss his experience as a student-athlete and what participating in men's lacrosse has taught him.

Members also voted to allow Brine, Inc., the official supplier of lacrosse balls for the NCAA, to begin testing a new design that incorporates the blue NCAA logo. The ball will be tested during the 2005-06 fall season and reviewed at the 2006 championships. At that time, officials will consider whether to use the equipment at the 2007 championships.

Division I actions

The committee also conducted breakout sessions by division. Division I members decided to change their regional advisory committee structure from 16 to eight, allowing for one representative from each league and one for all independents. Each league and the independents will be asked to determine which of their two representatives will continue to serve on the committee. Committee members decided the size of the committees was too large, and many members were unable to fully participate in committee work.

The Division I committee also:

• Will mandate that four games be played on both Saturday and Sunday during the first round of the championship tournament. Start times are 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. but could change depending on television.

• Recommended quarterfinal sites for 2006 and 2007. The recommendations will be reviewed by the Championships/Competition Cabinet next month.

• Began discussions with the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association about its potential role in future championship weekend events.

Divisions II and III

The committee members in Divisions II and III voted to increase their travel parties and squad sizes to account for teams with large roster sizes and to help foster the continued growth of the sport. The new figures will more closely resemble the squad and travel party sizes in Division I.

Committee members recommended squad-size increases from 28 to 32 in both divisions. The travel party size in Division II is 34, and the recommended increase is to 38. In Division III, the size is 33, with a recommended increase to 37.

Divisions II and III also:

• Requested an increase in per diem at the final site to $110. The increase brings the Divisions II and III per diem in line with Division I. Because the championships are now conducted in larger metropolitan areas, the committee felt the increase was appropriate.

• Voted to support Division III legislation introduced by the Empire 8 that proposed 17 competition dates in the traditional season and one date of competition in the nontraditional season.