NCAA Championships: Proposed Changes in Meet Format, Qualification Tabled Until New Committee Begins
The NCAA has tabled discussion on proposals surrounding the national championship swimming and diving meet.
There will be a new Division I Swimming and Diving Committee that will be announced this fall and all proposals were deferred until that committee is formed.
There is no specific date given for when the committee will be announced.
The proposed changes mainly deal with the qualification process for the NCAA Championships as well as the event order of the meet and broadcasting needs of the finals.
There were two main parts of the proposal:
NCAA Championship format proposed changes
The update would position the championship for linear television coverage by aligning with broadcast needs, shuffling the event order for maximum viewership, enhancing diving coverage and moving the award ceremonies. It would also include changes like having prelims carry more weight and scoring the consolation final differently.
NCAA qualification process
The proposal would expand championship access by updating qualifying standards. This would ensure the championship continues to spotlight the very best athletes while also establishing one qualifying standard and an automatic berth for athletes who both win their conference championship and meet the qualifying time. Importantly, this approach puts renewed value on conference meets as a pathway to the NCAA Championships.
