meeting of the athletics administrators of the ... - mvc… · 1. approval of minutes. approved the...

MEETING OF THE ATHLETICS ADMINISTRATORSOF THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE

Lake of the Ozarks, MissouriJune 1-2, 2016

In attendance:

Bradley Jen Jones, Chris Reynolds Drake Megan Franklin, Sandy Hatfield Clubb (Renae Chesnut)Evansville Sarah Solinsky, Mark Spencer (Mark Davis)Illinois State Larry Lyons, Leanna Bordner (Jeri Beggs)Indiana State Sherard Clinkscales, Angie Lansing (Joe Sanders)Loyola Ramiza Vulic, Steve Watson (Keith Lambrecht)Missouri State Casey Hunt, Kyle Moats, chair (Jim Hutter)Northern Iowa Jean Berger, David Harris (Elaine Eshbaugh)Southern Illinois Tommy Bell, Kathy Jones (Julie Partridge)Wichita State Darron Boatright, Becky EndicottMVC Staff Bryan Belt, Maxine Day, Derrick Docket, Doug Elgin, Jimmy Heisner,

Mike Kern, Patty Viverito, Greg Walter, Jack Watkins

[Note: Faculty representatives who attended significant portions of the meetings are noted inparenthesis.]

[Note: Regardless of actual sequence, all actions and discussions within a given topic arereported in accordance with the order of the agenda for ease of reference. The agenda is includedwith the minutes as Appendix 1.]

The meeting was called to order by the chair, Kyle Moats, at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 1.

1. Approval of Minutes. Approved the minutes of the October 26, 2015 meeting of athleticsadministrators as presented.

2. Basketball Matters.

a. Men’s and Women’s Basketball.

(1) Video Replay System. The GamePlan courtside replay system,currently in use by the MVC, is not a long-term viable option but willbe utilized during the 2016-17 season, with continuing review of livetelevision replays by game officials as available. It is anticipated thata detailed recommendation to purchase the DVSport replay systemfor installation in advance of the 2017-18 season will be presented atthe 2016 MVC Fall meetings.

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MVC Athletics Administrators MinutesJune 1-2, 2016

Reported that GameTapeXchange may no longer be an option forvideo exchange for volleyball and soccer, and video exchangecapabilities may need to be factored into the decision about basketballreplay systems.

Suggested DVSport be invited to present operational and pricingoptions for their services at the AD/SWA meetings in Indianapolis inSeptember 2016.

(2) NCAA “First Contest Date” Legislation. Under current legislation, thenumber of weeks in the season is inconsistent from year to year (20 weeksin some years, 21 in other years). In 20-week years, there is significantcompaction of the nonconference schedule which results in a variety ofnegative impacts on student-athlete time during critical periods (e.g., moremidweek contests, pressure to schedule games near or during examperiods). In addition, compaction adversely impacts the ability ofinstitutions and conferences to schedule efficiently and effectively. Conference coaches and administrators supported the concept ofexploring the viability of proposing NCAA legislation that wouldallow for a standardized first contest date 21 weeks prior to theweekend of the Division I Final Fours.

(3) National Officiating Landscape. Regionalization of men’s and women’sbasketball officiating is becoming the norm.

MVC women’s basketball has been aligned with six other Midwestconferences in the Women’s Basketball Officiating Consortium (WBOC)for more than a decade. Advantages of the consortium include theresponsiveness of a full-time coordinator, economy of pooling resourcesand, theoretically, more consistent application of the rules throughout theregion. One possible disadvantage is the “pecking order” in theassignment of game officials that is inherent in this model.

MVC men’s basketball officiating has operated with a single coordinatorwithout alliances. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee hasdiscussed nationalizing of men’s basketball officiating and the MVC mayconsider alignment with one of the two men’s basketball consortiums inthe Midwest. The group agreed that a review of the identification, tierclassification, training, and assignment of men’s basketball officialswas appropriate at this time and the Conference should considerconsortium options that would continue to involve MVC coordinatorof men’s basketball officials, Eddie Jackson.

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b. Men’s Basketball.

(1) Non-conference Scheduling Policies. Athletics directors met byconference call on May 24 to discuss MVC non-conference schedulingpolicies including the incentives/disincentives program scheduled to gointo effect this year. The group was reminded that the MVC PresidentsCouncil, at their March meeting with the athletics directors, had expresseda consensus view that the current policy structure should be given thechance to work and there should be no urgency to make wholesale changesin the near term, despite an expression of strong opposition from someinstitutions to the disincentives included in the policy guidelines. Adjustments to the current model, as well as alternative models for futureconsideration, were discussed during the May 24 conference call ofathletics directors and at the Spring meeting.

Athletics administrators also considered a proposal to have disincentivesapplied to institutions by withholding a portion of the annual distribution,to be held in reserve until such time that the team’s Selection Sunday RPIranking is 199 or better, with money released to the institution upon thisth

achievement. Further suggested that, if adopted, there be a time limit (e.g.2 - 3 years) on when the financial disincentives held in reserve can beearned back.

Athletics administrators reached the following positions related to thecurrent policy:

• A strong majority supported staying the course with thecurrent incentives/disincentives policy.

• Agreed the current policy needs to be renamed to recognize itis, in part, a performance policy, not just a scheduling policy.

• Agreed further discussion of scheduling/performance policiesis needed.

• There is interest in considering the proposal to hold financialpenalties in reserve with an opportunity for institutions to“earn back” the money within a specific period of time throughimproved performance.

• Suggested there be further discussion of scheduling strategieswith outside consultants (i.e. Dan Gavitt, Jim Sukup, BruceRasmussen) at the athletics directors meeting in Indianapolisin September.

(2) Mandatory 6-Home Game Minimum. Discussed the head coaches’recommendation to adopt a policy requiring a mandatory minimum

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number of home games for MVC teams based on the considerableevidence in data that was presented from peer leagues that increasing thenumber of home games enhances at-large access.

Discussed whether teams should be required to play a minimum of sixhome games, including one game that could be scheduled against anon-Division I opponent. Administrators noted that most institutionsregularly meet this standard and determined that this matter shouldbe managed as a best practice rather than as a conference policy.

(3) Conference Season Start Dates. With coaches’ support, agreed to beginthe 2016-17 league schedule on Wednesday or Thursday, December 28/29. The possibility of scheduling one league game before Christmas in 2017-18 was discussed with Friday and Saturday, December 22/23, targeted foropening games.

(4) MVC Men’s Basketball Tournament Report. Reported that all-sessionattendance at the 2016 championship exceeded 50,000 for the 12th

consecutive year and total ticket sales topped $1 million for the fifth-straight season. In February 2015, the MVC extended its Scottrade Centercontract through 2018, with the league holding an option for the 2019 and2020 events.

(5) NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee. Elgin, who currentlyserves on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee, updated thegroup on recent discussions among Division I and FCS commissionersregarding proposed changes in the composition and structure of the NCAADivision I Men’s Basketball Committee. Discussed the three proposedcommittee composition models and the group supported maintainingthe current 10-member model. [Straw poll: 10-member model-8, 11- member model-1 (SIU), 12-member model-1 (UE)]

(6) NIT Committee Report. Elgin, who currently serves on the NITCommittee, offered insights into the NIT selection process and sharedhistorical data showing the impact of NIT automatic qualification on at-large access.

Voted to accept the Men’s Basketball Report. [Vote: unanimous]

c. Women’s Basketball.

(1) Spring Meetings Report.

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(a) Tournament Overview. Feedback about the tournament at theiWireless Center in Moline was very positive including a betterfacility, improved atmosphere, good array of fan activities andpromotions (i.e. youth clinic, fan fest), strong local publicityand awareness, and helpful volunteers. Support from theQuad Cities CVB matched or exceeded expectations in everyregard. The bottom line is projected to be improved over thefinal year in St. Charles by approximately $30,000 largely dueto the host’s $80,000 guarantee and rent-free use of the facilityand numerous set-up needs.

(b) Tournament Procedures and 2016 Follow-Up Matters. Keytournament matters addressed included:

• The name of the iWireless Center will change at sometime following the 2017 tournament.

• The iWireless Center intends to replace the basketball floor,possibly prior to next year’s tournament.

• Recommended that an exercise bike be provided at eachbench.

• Offered suggestions for improving the Thursday nightawards ceremony.

• Agreed to explore ways to overcome the cost andlogistical challenges of providing institution-specificchampionship t-shirts; reported a Moline printer hasbeen secured to accomplish this.

• Suggested differentiating the 2 place tournament trophynd

from the regular-season trophy (i.e. gold lettering for the regular season championship; silver lettering for the 2nd

place tournament trophy). • Discussed championship postgame protocol and agreed

the 2 place team should remain on the floor for thend

postgame awards presentation. Directed the staff to helpmanage postgame activities by working with each team’sadministration.

• Agreed to assign staff to improve lockerroom security.• Reported some challenges with postgame snacks; staff will

consider adjustments to avoid waste.

(c) Team Hotel Assignments. The Radisson and Stoney Creek Hotelsin downtown Moline again will serve as the two tournament teamhotels, with five teams assigned to each property. There was prioragreement that team hotel assignments would be flipped for 2017,

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however, coaches and administrators unanimously agreed tomaintain the 2016 team hotel assignments for 2017:

Team hotel assignments for the 2017 tournament:Radisson: Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, SouthernIllinoisStoney Creek: Indiana State, Loyola, Missouri State, UNI,Wichita State

(d) WNIT. Coaches requested that staff follow up with the WNIT tosecure more representation and better pairings in their preseasonand postseason events.

(e) Marketing and Promotions: Talent. Prominent national basketballanalyst Debbie Antonelli did an exceptional job with ESPN3broadcasted interviews during MVC Media Day and she has beensecured to work in a similar capacity at our 2016 Media Day.Further, for regular-season social media promotion, staff will workwith Antonelli and Kelly Burke with focus on shorter and moretimely segments.

(2) Scheduling.

(a) Days of Play. In 2014-15, MVC women’s basketball switched fromscheduling games on Thursday/Saturday to Friday/Sunday. Thiswas intended to accomplish two specific objectives -- moreconsistent scheduling by avoiding numerous conflicts with men’sbasketball on Saturdays (which required playing several “travelswings” on Friday/Sunday) and assignment of more elite-levelofficials by moving off of Saturday competition. Additionally,some institutions preferred Friday/Sunday for promotionalpurposes. Scheduling regular season games on Friday/Sunday wasaffirmed.

(b) Future Scheduling Grids. The staff is prepared to developscheduling grids for the next four years, 2018-19 through 2021-2022, as soon as facility conflicts and travel partners can bedetermined. Evansville confirmed that women’s basketball gameswill move from the downtown Ford Center to the on-campusCarson Center, beginning in 2017-18. Coaches requested thatminimizing and balancing distant travel on the final weekend ofthe regular season be added to scheduling factors in developingfuture schedules.

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(3) NCAA Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee. Distributed a listingof key priorities of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Oversight Committeeand the summary of women’s basketball responses from the 2015 NCAAGOALS Survey. Noted from the report that parent influence in women’sbasketball has a strong effect on college choice and often the decision iscoach-centric; women’s basketball student-athletes are highly connected totheir parents, with two-thirds of players communicating with parents atleast once per day; and 28% of women’s basketball parents expected theirdaughters to play professionally.

Voted to accept the Women’s Basketball Report. [Vote: unanimous]

3. Marketing & Media.

a. Marketing & Media Committee Report. Kyle Moats, chair of the Marketing &Media Committee, presented the committee’s report (Appendix 2) and thefollowing actions were taken.

(1) Men’s Basketball Marketing Initiatives. Reviewed initiatives to createawareness and drive ticket sales.

(a) Radio. Staff is pursuing a new radio broadcast agreement with St.Louis-based radio stations – WXOS, KTRS or KMOX.

(b) Fan Hangout. Signed a multi-year agreement with St. LouisBallpark Village to serve as the ongoing site of the MVC FanHangout through 2018.

(c) Discount Promotions. Discount ticket initiatives generated $37,462 in revenue, down 30%, largely due to non-renewal ofSubway sponsorship.

(d) 2017 MVC Tournament Ticket Prices. Recommended no increasein tournament ticket prices for 2017.

(e) Team Hotel Assignments. The MVC has contracts with eightdowntown properties to serve as team hotels and 2017 team hotelassignments were reviewed. Loyola and Wichita State expressedinterest in switching team hotel assignments; staff willinvestigate details of this change.

(2) Women’s Basketball Tournament Marketing and Promotions.

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(a) Quad City Media Partners. MVC worked with three mediapartners in the Quad Cities – television, radio and print, spending $3,000 cash with each and receiving $15,000 in trade from eachsponsor.

(b) MVC Promotional Efforts. Secured trade agreements with MVCinstitutions’ radio and television partners and distributed printadvertisements and courtside LED creative to each institution. Also placed 30-second spots and a live-read in each school-produced game for The Valley on ESPN3.

(c) Attendance. The tournament averaged over 1,000 fans/session anddrew a total of 8,129 patrons, a 125% increase over the 2015 eventin St. Charles.

(d) Tournament Ticket Pricing. Each institution was required topurchase 100 all-session tickets at $40 each if purchased on orbefore January 15 and $60 after that date. Three institutionspurchased more than the required minimum – Drake, Illinois Stateand Missouri State. Agreed to maintain these ticket prices for2017, with single-session ticket prices at $16 for reserved seats and$10 for general admission.

(3) MVC Television Network. Reported a significant increase in televisionproduction in 2015-16 with over 500 live events clearing across 19broadcast platforms.

(4) New Media. Beyond Conference production of league championshipevents on ESPN3, 2015-16 new media endeavors included: profile piecesfor league productions; frequent promotional videos for men’s andwomen’s basketball; championships promotional pieces; live streaming ofthe swimming & diving championship, softball banquet, men’s andwomen’s basketball coaches’ teleconferences, Coach of the YearLuncheon and Hall of Fame events; the creation of Inside the Valleypodcasts; and Twitter trivia and giveaways on social media.

(5) MVC Sports Properties. Learfield outlined MVCSP acquisition of newsponsors and retention of existing sponsors. The Committee requested adetailed overview of Learfield’s sponsor outreach in the Quad Citiesmarket.

(6) Marketing Directors Report. Presented the report of April 25, 2016 MVCmarketing directors call. The group was reminded that all championships

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sponsorship arrangements must be coordinated with MVC SportsProperties and the Conference.

(7) State Farm Delivery. Reviewed components of the State Farm title-sponsorship of Arch Madness. A payment of $33,000 per school isprovided as part of the agreement for delivery of campus assets includingprofile signage on basketball goals; courtside LED signage; in-gamepromotions; distribution of branded premium items; and commercial spotson MVC broadcasts.

Voted to accept the Marketing & Media Committee Report. [Vote: unanimous]

b. Television. Reviewed proposed 2016-17 linear television production plans whichinclude the men’s basketball championship game on CBS and men’s basketballbroadcasts on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, CBS Sports Network, Fox Sports Net andComcast SportsNet Chicago.

(1) CBS Sports. Greg Trager, CBS Sports Network Vice President ofProgramming, presented information about the CBS network and theMissouri Valley’s place within it.

(2) ESPN. Brent Colborne, ESPN Director of Programming, presentedinformation about industry trends and The Valley on ESPN3. Key pointsof the presentation included:

• The MVC’s extensive presence on ESPN3 is unique. • The Valley on ESPN3 is a network, not a channel.• Production was the major focus in first year of the agreement;

promotion and branding will receive major focus movingforward.

• Priorities include: prominent branding (weekly content, in-gamepromotion, social engagement, school color specific Valley onESPN3 logos); personalization (content, reach, media exchangetesting); platform presence, and promotion (live events, themeweeks, digital integration, marketing and public relationsinitiatives).

(c) ESPN3 Report.

(1) Conference Productions. The Conference production agreement with NilesMedia Group concludes following the 2016-17 season. The MVC willcontinue to produce basketball media day, selected men’s and women’sbasketball games, and conference championships contests for men’s and

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women’s soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, softball, baseball, andindoor and outdoor track & field.

Future plans are to shift from conference to campus production ofmen’s and women’s basketball regular-season games for exclusivedistribution on ESPN3. This translates to an annual estimatedsavings for the conference office of $275,000 with an expectation toprovide institutional stipends to offset increased campus costs.

(2) Campus Productions. As part of the expanded number of contractedexclusive ESPN3 productions (370 in 2015-16, 520 in 2016-17),institutions are expected to add as many as 20 live events in 2016-17. Also, the production number increases to 670 in 2017-18 and 820 in 2018-19 and for the remainder of the contract.

Several key challenges had to be addressed to successfully launch thisambitious initiative. These included overcoming both anticipated andunanticipated technology issues; waivers to permit videostreaming ofcertain sports during transition (i.e. soccer, softball and baseball); anddevelopment of policies to manage production conflicts (i.e. overlappingfall sports, softball/baseball). Further, some campuses need to addressproduction challenges at soccer and softball facilities.

(3) Broadcast Conflicts. Distributed a summary of anticipated fall sportsbroadcast conflicts and discussed how campuses plan to managethese. Also discussed anticipated conflicts with baseball and softballgames and suggested one way to address these would be to broadcastFriday and Sunday baseball games and the Saturday softballdoubleheader. Further, when scheduling conflicts cannot be resolved,the host institution will determine which event will be produced.

(4) Videostreaming. Per contract, ESPN is paying for MVC digital rightsand video streaming is prohibited beginning in 2016-17.

(5) Branding. Noted there are ongoing challenges with branding The Valley on

ESPN3 to differentiate it from other ESPN3 programming.

d. MVC Sports Properties.

(1) Agreement Extension Negotiations. Announced the Conference andLearfield have agreed to a restructured agreement that will extend through 2023-24.

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(2) Meeting with Learfield Representatives. Jim McIver, MVC-SportsProperties General Manager; Tom Stevens, VP Central Region; BobWelch, VP Central Region; and Tom Wistrcill, Executive Director -Business Development; presented information about non-renewals, newsponsors and key initiatives for 2016-17 with specific discussion regardingAetna, radio coverage of the men’s basketball tournament, and women’sbasketball title sponsorship in the Quad Cities.

4. Sports Management. Becky Endicott, chair of the Sport Management Committee(SMC), presented the committee’s report (Appendix 3).

a. Sports Matters.

(1) Baseball. Noted Larry Lyons currently serves on the NCAA Division IBaseball Committee.

(2) Cross Country. Lansing noted that the Division I Cross Country and Track& Field Committee has been asked to consider a qualification-basedregional structure for cross country and will be conducting a survey togather membership input.

(3) Men’s & Women’s Golf.

(a) No-Play Policy. Presented the no-play policy approved by thecoaches:

Teams and individuals are prohibited from playing or practicing ona championship course the year of the championship, August(effective with the start of each school’s academic year) throughthe completion of the championship, with exceptions to be grantedby coaches, i.e. if course hosts a major amateur event. Anexception may also be granted should a school host a fallinvitational on the championship course (during the same academicyear it hosts the MVC championship), provided other leaguemembers are afforded the opportunity to participate. Teams andindividuals competing in such a fall tournament may onlypractice/play the championship course during scheduled practicerounds and competition rounds.

Further, coaches will be asked to clarify that if a course has morethan 18 holes, if all courses at the championship site are subject tothe no-play policy or just the 18 championship holes.

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(b) Entry Fees. Staff provided a summary of golf championshipsentry fees over the past five years for review by the SMC andalso reported the 2017 entry fees for men’s and women’s golfare estimated to be $2,000. SMC voted to establish anacceptable range of golf entry fees and a firm estimate of theentry fee at the time of site selection. This matter was referredto coaches for further input.

(4) Men’s Soccer.

(a) Two-Season Model. Men’s soccer coaches expressed continuedsupport for the ongoing development of the proposed two-seasonmodel based upon anticipated benefits to student-athlete welfare,the quality of the student-athlete experience, and the overall well-being of the sport. SMC expressed concerns related to increasedcosts; facility challenges, especially for more northerninstitutions; and negative impact on student-athlete well beingregarding any two-season proposal that would include both anearly start date and late season-ending date. Noted women’scoaches are not in favor of such a model.

(b) #7 Seed Match Date and Opponent. In Spring 2015, administratorsapproved the coaches recommendation to move to a 7-teamtournament as a result of adoption of an unbalanced schedulingmodel. SMC voted to support the men’s soccer coachesrecommendation to implement the 7-team tournament byhaving the #6 seed play the #7 seed on Tuesday at thechampionship site with a noon start time, with the winner ofthe 6/7 game playing the #3 seed on Wednesday.

(c) 2017 & 2018 Schedules. A clear majority of coaches expressed aninterest in establishing certainty with league schedules to allow formore strategic scheduling of non-conference games. Additionally,a clear majority of coaches believed that an 8-game schedulerepresented a compromise that would best position the league as awhole and the SMC supported the proposed 2017 and 2018schedules presented by staff.

(d) Rescheduling by Mutual Consent. Coaches expressed that as ageneral principle, the league schedule should take priority overnonconference games and contests should not be moved to obtainan advantage in league play. Also agreed that there may be limitedcircumstances in which it may be appropriate to move a game by

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mutual consent of the participating institutions due to a uniqueopportunity (e.g., ability to schedule a very high RPI opponent) andin some cases there may be a need to adjust game dates and timesto ensure ESPN3 production. Also agreed that the final game ofleague play may not be moved to an earlier date. Coachesrequested that other teams be notified when matches arerescheduled by mutual consent. [Note: women’s soccer coachesrequested July 1 notice of rescheduled conference matches.]st

(e) Common Start Time for Final League Games. Coaches discussedwhether to implement a common start time for final league games,but it was noted that a number of factors (e.g., other weekendcampus events, ESPN3 production timelines) may make thisinfeasible.

(f) Assistant Coaches Meeting. Coaches requested that assistantcoaches be invited to attend and meet separately on issues forwhich they are primarily responsible (e.g., video exchange) and forprofessional development. SMC opposed expanding MVCcoaches meetings to include assistant coaches for any sport,with the exception of track and field.

(5) Women’s Soccer.

(a) Management of Date and Time Adjustments to Matches. Regarding ESPN3 broadcasts, staff informed the group thatproduction of soccer games is required by contract by the 2017season, but indicated several institutions plan to produce games in2016. Noted that fall sports scheduling could be impacted in orderto maximize the number of contests produced for ESPN3distribution. Coaches had differing preferences for afternoon andevening match times on Saturday, but acknowledged the need to beflexible, including the possibility of moving conference games toSunday afternoon, if necessary. Agreed it would be important toidentify conflicts well in advance of the season in order toadjust schedules. SMC endorsed adopting July 1st as thedeadline for notification of soccer conflicts that impact ESPN3broadcasts.

(b) Reimbursement. Visiting tournament teams receive $1,000 fromthe tournament host, and first-round-game visiting teams receive$1,000 from the higher-seeded hosts. A suggestion to reimbursevisiting teams participating in the championship game an

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additional $1,000 toward covering additional expenses for lodgingand meals was discussed. Coaches identified alternativeguarantee and reimbursement models for the SportsManagement Committee to consider and SMC supporteddistribution of the host guarantee on a pro rata basis based ontravel time and distance as is the case for other sports (i.e.baseball, men’s soccer, softball, volleyball). The guarantee wasmaintained at the current level of $4,000.

(c) 2018 Schedule. SMC supported the 2018 MVC women’s soccerschedule approved by the coaches.

(d) Statistics. Coaches raised concern with the lack of consistency instatistics reported throughout the league. Suggested this is due to anumber of reasons including staff turnover and lack of in depthsoccer knowledge among SIDs assigned to cover the sport. Staffagreed to consider ways to educate soccer SIDs includingdistribution of the NCAA’s soccer statistics document andinvestigating best practices of other conferences.

(e) First-Round Tournament Games. Considered whether higher-seeded teams hosting first-round games of the women’s soccertournament should be required to produce games for ESPN3distribution. Administrators agreed first-round hosts shouldnot be required to produce such contests in 2016, noting thatsoccer becomes a required sport for distribution per the ESPNcontract in 2017.

(6) Softball.

(a) Championship Host Criteria. Among the criteria required tohost the MVC Softball Championship is that the bidding teammust have finished in the top eight in the regular-season theprior year. This policy was adopted when the championshiphost was guaranteed a slot in the 8-team tournament field and,given the host is no longer guaranteed inclusion in thetournament and projected host team strength is already one ofthe site selection criteria, SMC voted to eliminate this siteselection criterion, effective immediately.

(b) Rescheduled Games Policies. The MVC softball policy forrescheduling games states that games may be rescheduled only ifthe rescheduling occurs prior to the visiting team’s travel to play on

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the scheduled date due to anticipated weather or field conditions,and the visiting team does not incur additional travel expenses ormissed class time.

This Spring, staff interpreted this policy to permit a team to travelon Friday to play a double-header that day and also to play a singlegame on Sunday in the event of rain all day Saturday. Therationale was that expenses for only 2 nights of lodging wereincurred and no additional class time was missed. Other teamstraveled that same weekend on Thursday, played games on Fridayand were advised that an additional night’s lodging on Saturdaywould preclude playing games on Sunday under thesecircumstances. Some coaches expressed concern with what theyperceived to be an inequitable application of the MVCrescheduling policy.

SMC referred this matter to softball coaches for consideration attheir meeting in July.

(c) Issues Identified for Coaches Meeting. SMC reported two mattersanticipated to be discussed at the annual softball coaches meeting – expanding the tournament to include all ten teams andconsideration of 11:00 am start times on Sunday during the regularseason.

(7) Swimming & Diving.

(a) Minimum Championship Host Requirements. Coaches affirmedthe minimum requirements they proposed in February and wereinformed diving coaches’ feedback regarding how to manage achampionship facility with only one 3-meter board.

(b) Awards Program. SMC supported the coaches’ recommendationthat awards be presented immediately following each race tohelp the flow of the event, give the student-athletes more timeto warm down and to mirror NCAA Championship protocol.

(c) Entries. A time must be listed in the NCAA SwimmingDatabase in order to be used for seeding purposes. For themile, teams will use the faster of a converted 1,000y or a 1,650ytime.

(d) C Final Participants. SMC supported the coaches’

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recommendation that the fastest swimmers be in the C finalregardless of whether that swimmer is a scorer or exhibitionswimmer.

(8) Tennis.

(a) Men’s Tennis Affiliate Membership: Stony Brook. MVC men’stennis affiliate members, Hartford and UMBC, dropped theirsponsorship of men’s tennis effective after the 2016 season. Thisleft Stony Brook as the only remaining affiliate member anddropped the number of MVC programs to five, one below thenumber necessary to maintain the Conference’s automatic bid tothe NCAA Division I Tennis Championship. The NCAA offers atwo-year grace period for automatic qualification provided aconference does not fall below five teams. Thus, the MVC wouldlose its AQ if any of our four MVC teams or the remaining affiliatemember drops men’s tennis.

At the SMC meeting the following additional developmentsregarding men’s tennis were reported:

• In response to earlier speculation, SIU confirmed that nosports will be dropped for the 2016-17 season. This leavesthe MVC with sponsorship of 4 men’s tennis teams and 8women’s tennis teams next year.

• Stony Brook remained a potential 5 team as a continuingth

MVC affiliate member for men’s tennis. However, StonyBrook was also in need of conference affiliation for theirwomen’s tennis program and their ability to maintainsponsorship of men’s tennis and MVC affiliate membershipwas reported to be contingent upon finding a conference forwomen’s tennis.

• Stony Brook had been offered men’s and women’s affiliatemembership in the WAC effective in 2016-17, but wouldlikely prefer MVC membership for both genders.

Based on this information and with endorsement of the SMCand unanimous support of the women’s tennis coaches, staffinvited Stony Brook men’s and women’s teams to join theMVC as affiliate tennis members for 2016-17 with thestipulations that both would participate in the team

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championships, but not regular-season competition. Men’sand women’s MVC coaches also supported tournamentseeding being determined by ITA national rankings.

Further, Illinois State is scheduled to host both the men’s andwomen’s team tournaments in 2017 and confirmed that IllinoisState will host men’s and women’s tournaments as a coedchampionship on April 28-30, 2017

Stony Brook accepted the MVC invitation and terms of theone-year affiliate membership agreement as presented.

(b) Men’s Tennis Long-Term Membership Options. SMC alsoreviewed the national conference landscape for men’s tennis inorder to assess options regarding longer-term accommodationof MVC men’s tennis programs.

(c) Inclusion of Fall Records. Questions were raised about whether toinclude fall match results in teams’ overall records. Since the ITAincorporates the use of all fall matches in its computerizedrankings, staff agreed to include all fall dual matches results as partof the overall team record in the spring season.

(9) Track & Field. No report.

(10) Volleyball.

(a) 9-Week Scheduling Model. The current 9-week scheduling modelis in effect as a pilot program through the 2016 season. Coachesagreed the nonconference scheduling benefits outweighed thecompetitive equities inherent in this scheduling model. Alsoagreed it is important to maintain the ability to reschedule aconference match by mutual consent of the involved teams andrequested that other teams be notified when matches arerescheduled.

Coaches unanimously recommended the 9-week schedulingmodel be implemented through 2018 and SMC approved theproposed 2017 and 2018 schedules presented by staff.

(b) Broadcast Conflicts. Coaches considered the following staffproposal to address challenges regarding the implementation ofinstitutional ESPN3 broadcasts:

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• The standard match starting time shall be 7:00 pm localtime. This is the default start time in the absence ofconflicts.

• Any adjustment to the match start time may be made bymutual agreement of the two participating institutions (ADor designee).

• In the absence of mutual agreement between the twoparticipating institutions, the following procedures shall beused to consider start time adjustments due to conflicts(e.g., multiple same day events, facility constraint):

< If the host institution cannot offer the visitinginstitution a start time between 4:00 pm local timeand 8:00 pm local time, the visiting institution shallhave the option to play the game on Sunday. If thevisiting institution elects to play on Sunday, the hostinstitution shall be responsible for providingcompensation to the visiting institution in theamount of $1,430 (22 individuals times $65 perperson per additional day) to cover meals, lodgingand miscellaneous expenses.

< If the host institution offers the visiting institution astart time between 4:00 pm local time and 6:59 pmlocal time, the visiting institution will have theoption of accepting that start time or moving thegame to Sunday. In this circumstance, the visitinginstitution shall be responsible for the resultingadditional costs. (Note: If the host institution isunable to accommodate a Sunday start time, thevisiting institution will be required to accept theadjusted Saturday start time.)

< If the host institution offers the visiting institution astart time between 7:00 pm local time and 8:00 pmlocal time, the visiting institution shall be requiredto accept that start time.

• Circumstances that cannot be resolved using the precedingprovisions shall be resolved by the Conference office.

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• Host institutions shall give visiting institutions as muchnotice of a potential start time change as reasonablypossible and a minimum of 30 days notice.

SMC supported the coaches’ unanimous recommendation toadopt these policies as presented with an additional provisionto require the host to pay the visiting team $1,430 in the eventthe start time is changed with less than 30 days notice and amove to Sunday is warranted. Volleyball student-athletes onMVC SAAC noted a strong preference for playing with lessrest on Saturday rather than on Sunday.

(c) Tournament Format. Coaches discussed expanding the MVCTournament from six to eight teams. Factors considered includedthe growing depth of the league, the inequities inherent in the 9-week schedule and the impact this could have on qualifying for thetournament, and the desire of some coaches to eliminate byes in thetournament bracket. Acknowledged that a serious drawback toexpansion is the potential negative impact this could have if top-seeded teams play very low RPI teams in the tournament. Onesuggestion to address this concern was to establish minimumstandards (i.e. RPI, # of overall wins) to qualify as the 7 and 8th th

tournament teams. Coaches made no recommendation and plan todiscuss the matter further at their next meeting.

(d) Videotape Exchange Policies. The MVC video exchange systemwas adjusted in mid-season during 2015 to address unintendedconsequences resulting from unequal implementation of ESPN3broadcasts. Specifically, coaches approved an adjustment topolicies to require that video be uploaded by midnight the dayof conference matches. SMC supported the coaches decision toadopt this policy on a continuing basis.

(e) Video Exchange System. Coaches discussed the current videoexchange system, GametapeXchange, and expressed interest inexploring Volleymetrics as an alternative. Staff researched costsand, cue to low current use of the system within the conference, nochange was recommended at this time.

Reported that GTX is rumored to no longer be in business andalternative video exchange systems will need to be investigatedand put in place for volleyball and men’s soccer. A survey of

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conference video exchange systems used for these and othersports was distributed and staff was directed to explore optionsand seek feedback from coaches.

b. Championship Matters.

(1) Non-Bid Championship Sites.

(a) Swimming & Diving. Presented the sites which were consideredfor the 2017 MVC Women’s Swimming & Diving Championshipwhich included UNI hosting at the University of Iowa, the sitewhich was approved in Spring 2015 contingent upon securing theUniversity of Iowa facility at a reasonable cost; the Fruit AquaticCenter in Edwardsville, Illinois which expressed interest insubmitting a bid to host; and SIU, which has facility availabilitybut expressed a preference to have the event hosted elsewhere nextyear because SIU is scheduled to host the 2017 Mid-AmericanConference Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship.

SMC selected UNI to host the 2017 Swimming & DivingChampionship at the University of Iowa. Further noted thatcoaches agreed to conduct an in-person meeting at the neutralsite location in advance of the championship to ensure alldetails are covered for planning the championship.

(b) Outdoor Track & Field. Missouri State is scheduled to host the2017 MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championship, but the newfacility does not have space to conduct the javelin event andconducting a field event at a non-adjacent site will require asignificant adjustment to the championship schedule. MSUreported that it had identified two possible options for conductingjavelin competition and proposed a 4-day schedule toaccommodate the challenges with their facilities.

SMC discussed alternatives and, upon assurance from MSUthat a suitable javelin site would be provided, selected MSU tohost the 2017 Outdoor Track & Field Championship, with theunderstanding that approval of the expanded 4-day scheduleapplies only to times when MSU hosts the event.

(2) 2016-17 Site Selection. SMC reviewed the MVC site selection process,including selection principles, guidelines, ESPN3 broadcast requirements,and criteria, and considered the submitted bids.

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After presentation of all bids the SMC selected the following slate of2016-17 proposed championship sites. Deliberation included lengthydiscussion of key site selection factors (i.e. geographic proximity,institutional investment in facilities, rotation of opportunities to hostamong the membership) and a second ballot to break a tie for men’ssoccer.

Women’s Soccer Illinois StateMen’s Soccer Missouri StateVolleyball Northern IowaMen’s Tennis Illinois StateWomen’s Tennis Illinois StateSoftball Illinois StateBaseball Missouri State

The 2016-17 MVC championships slate, in its entirety, was approvedby the Athletics Administration Committee. [Vote: unanimous]

(3) Review of Championship Site Selection Process. Staff presented adocument regarding the MVC championships site selection processintended to inform the membership and stimulate discussion ofalternative approaches.

(a) Background and History. The MVC Sports ManagementCommittee currently serves as the group tasked to determine arecommended slate of championships in a thoughtful, objective,consistent manner that provides a fair opportunity to host for allinstitutions willing and able to submit qualified bids. The siteselection criteria used, without priority, include: quality offacilities, hosting history by sport, projected strength of host team,financial considerations, geography, championship atmosphere andtotal number of championships hosted in a year.

MVC championship site selection has been a source ofdivisiveness within the membership. Some examples include the2011 selection process (involving several ties broken by the chairand commissioner) that led directly to the development of an adhoc site selection committee; recent votes perceived to have beenunduly influenced by geography in the sports of baseball, men'ssoccer, and volleyball; and issues relating to affiliate membershosting championships, particularly in men's soccer.

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While it is encouraging that so many member institutions havechampionship caliber facilities and a strong desire to host, both themembership and staff have a strong interest in avoidingcontentious site selection processes that may adversely impactleague harmony. To that end, it is important that the membershiphave a candid discussion about the process and next steps at MVCspring meetings.

(b) Identified Concerns. Issues that have led to contentiousness invarying degrees over the years include:

• Perceived overemphasis of travel distance in site selectionwhich disadvantages outlying members;

• Awarding sites that lack championship caliber facilities;• Repetition of sites inconsistent with input from coaches

groups and MVC SAAC favoring a rotation across hostswith the best facilities and championship atmosphere;

• Lack of meaningful presentation and holistic thinking tobest balance all site selection principles in the developmentof a slate in advance of the first ballot and no meaningfulreconsideration of "first ballot" votes;

• Involvement of non-sponsoring members in voting for aparticular sport's championship site; and

• No involvement of affiliate members in voting for aparticular sport's championship site.

(c) Possible Alternative Approaches. Staff presented options for howto manage the championships site selection process in future years,including the following.

Option #1: Determination of championship sites by a formula thatwould allow for development of a proposed slate of championshipsites based upon objective priorities previously identified throughMVC championships strategic studies, specifically includingquality of facilities, program strength and rotation amongchampionship-caliber sites.

Option #2: Pure rotation among "championship-caliber" facilities.

Option #3: Appointment of a Championships Site SelectionCommittee consisting of 5 administrators charged with developinga championships slate.

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Option #4: Refinement of the current process via SportsManagement Committee with possible improvements including:development of a list of "qualified" or "championship caliber"facilities; prioritization or further definition of site selectionfactors; provision of a travel subsidy by the Conference tosupplement the pro rata distribution of the host guarantee toparticipating teams to potentially diminish the impact of traveldistance as a factor in site selection; limiting hosting by the sameinstitution to 1 out of every 3 years; allowing affiliate members tovote on site selection relative to their sport; and/or prohibitingnonsponsoring members from voting on site selection relative to asport.

Discussed the pros and cons and implementation details of alternative approaches at length.

Voted unanimously to endorse Option 4 which adjusts thecurrent site selection process and to refer the determination ofspecific refinements to the Sport Management Committee forrecommendation to the Athletics Administration Committee inFall 2016.

(4) 2016 MVC Championships Strategic Study. In 2015-16, the MVCconducted a championships study which included an online survey ofcoaches and student-athletes regarding their assessments of the MVCchampionships program. Presented the Preliminary ExecutiveSummary of the MVC Championships Strategic Study and noted thefollowing key findings:

(a) Response rates of coaches and student-athletes in 2016 werecomparable to those of the 2012 study.

(b) The rate of responses for all sports was overwhelminglypositive, with overall rates for sports averaging 93% positiverate for coaches and 95% positive rate for student-athletes.

(c) Volleyball coaches had a significantly higher positive response ratein 2016 (95%) than in 2012 (77%). The least positive responsescame from softball coaches (76%) and swimming coaches (80%).Less positive response rates were registered in 2016 from women’sgolf coaches, softball coaches, and male golf and tennis student-athletes.

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(d) Coaches expressed nearly unanimous support for continuedsponsorship of MVC championships in their respective sports. Reasons cited in support included: positive student-athleteexperience, fair selection of automatic bids, at-large selectionopportunities, preparation for postseason, conferenceimage/reputation, enhancement of regular-season competition anddevelopment of the sport.

(e) Quality of facilities was consistently cited as a top priority inchampionship site selection by coaches and student-athletes inmost sports. Other site selection priorities vary significantly bysport and between coaches and student-athletes.

(f) As in 2012, a small but significant percentage of student-athletesresponded that championship participation negatively impactsacademics. In 2016 the percent of reported negative perceptionversus positive or no impact ranged from 0% to 30% with anoverall rate of perceived negative impact of 12%. This represents a4% reduction in the number of times student-athletes cited MVCchampionships having a negative impact on academics in 2012.

(g) Coaches and student-athletes of several Olympic sportsexpressed dissatisfaction with the level of support provided atthe institutional and conference levels. Increased marketing andpromotional efforts at the conference level were called forspecifically by cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’ssoccer, swimming & diving, and track & field.

The Preliminary MVC Championship Study will be shared with MVC SAACcoaches groups and their feedback shared with the Sports ManagementCommittee and Athletics Administration Committee.

c. Officiating Matters.

(1) Team Sports Officiating Fees 3-Year Plan. Distributed a summary ofapproved officiating fees for team sports through 2017-18 and noted theJoint Committee has directed that the next 3-year officiating plan bedeveloped during 2016-17 in order for fee increases to be known inadvance for institutional budgeting purposes.

(2) Men’s and Women’s Soccer. Coaches discussed the following matterswith the coordinator of officials: assignments, evaluations, rules points ofemphasis, and the need to train fourth officials.

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(3) Men’s and Women’s Soccer Video Review. Reported the NCAA hasapproved limited use of video replay for soccer effective with the 2016season. The new rule is not required and would involve providing a replaymonitor at field level. MVC implementation is not anticipated in 2016;referred the matter to coaches for review at their meetings inFebruary 2017.

(4) Volleyball.

(a) NCAA Volleyball Replay. The Big Ten and Big 12 Conferencesexperimented with instant replay this season and it appears replaylikely will be adopted for the NCAA Tournament and some otherconferences next season. It is unclear if ESPN3 video can beused for replay. The MVC needs to determine whatinvestment would be required to implement replay for theregular season, which seems likely at some point in the not-too-distant future.

(b) Speed Wipers. Speed wipers, which are currently recommendedfor MVC matches, are important to efficient match administrationand are provided by most institutions. SMC supported thecoaches’ recommendation to make speed wipers (equippedwith mops) a requirement for conference matches.

(c) Pursuit Protocol. For safety reasons, the Coordinator expressedthe need for stricter enforcement of space restrictions with noobstructions within two meters behind each referee (i.e. chairs,cameras, fans). Note: The NCAA Women’s Volleyball RulesCommittee recommended the elimination of the pursuit rule.

(d) Line Judges. Presented a detailed report of the league’s first yearof conference-level line judge assignment. Implementationincluded increased pay, as well as enhanced recruitment andtraining programs. Overall, the Coordinator was successful inidentifying and assigning PAVO-certified line judges who residewithin 200 miles of an MVC school. To keep down costs he wasable to assign matches for line judges and referees that avoidedadditional travel expenses for line judges. This arrangement willcontinue next season.

The group discussed how challenges in the new system will beaddressed moving forward. Specifically, the greatest challenge

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for 2016 is to identify and train line judges to work atEvansville and Southern Illinois.

Further noted the NCAA championship is likely to use four linejudges as early as next season.

(e) Cheerleader Restriction. The coordinator called for adherence torestrictions on cheerleaders location during matches.

d. MVC Policies.

(1) All-Sports Trophy Criteria. In Summer 2015, MVC SIDs discussed theformula for determining the winner of the All-Sports Trophy and staffdeveloped a revised formula to address the concerns that were raised. Thecurrent proposal adjusts the calculation method so the winner is theinstitution with the greatest number of points (rather than the fewest);includes all MVC sports sponsored in the calculations regardless of thenumber sponsored; and calculates an average of points earned per sport inorder to adjust for the variances in the number of sports sponsored.

The SMC supported the MVC All-Sports Award criteria as follows,effective 2016-17:

(a) Each sport’s champion is awarded 10 points;(b) For sports sponsored by every MVC school, the points count

backwards by one point per place (1 = 10, 2 = 9, 3 = 8, etc.);st nd rd

(c) For sports not sponsored by every MVC school, the points decreasebased on the number of competing teams (i.e. if 8 teams compete,10/8 = 1.25, so total points decrease by 1.25; 1 = 10, 2 = 8.75, 3st nd rd

= 7.5, etc.);(d) All MVC sports sponsored by the institution will be included in the

calculations; and (e) Affiliate member schools’ finishes will serve as place holders for

awarding points.

(2) Regular-Season Championships Celebrations. Men’s soccer coachesrecommended that a “MVC Champions” sign be available at each sitefor use by teams that clinch the championship. SMC supported thisconcept for all sports, but modified it to have the MVC provide achampions sign to each institution for use at its discretion at home andon the road.

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(3) Sports-Specific Awards. SMC supported sport-specific awardsrecommendations as follows:

(a) Men’s Soccer. The coaches’ recommended: (1) to add anOffensive Player of the Year to the current list of specialtyawards; (2) to change the composition of the All-ConferenceTeams to include 1 goalkeeper, 3 defenders, and 7 wildcards;and (3) to adjust the number of freshmen recognized to be “upto 11 individuals” and change the name of this recognition toAll-Freshman Performers.

(b) Swimming & Diving: Freshman of the Year. Coachesrecommended adding Freshman Swimmer and Diver of theYear awards.

(c) Volleyball.

(i) All-Conference Selection. Coaches agreed to adopt asingle-ballot method for all-conference selectionconsistent with other MVC sports.

(ii) Scholar-Athlete Award. Coaches recommended that SIDsmay not vote for their own institutional candidates forthe scholar-athlete award and affirmed that coaches willsign off on ballots.

Voted to accept the Sports Management Committee Report. [Vote: unanimous]

5. Other Business.

a. FLSA Update. Reported the recently approved U.S. Department of Labor FinalRule revising “white collar” exemptions from the Fair Labor Standards Act(FLSA) will raise the minimum salary requirement to $47,476 effective December 1, 2016. This will impact a small number of the MVC staff and willhave dramatic financial impact on universities.

b. Student-Athlete Gifts. Reported the MVC agreement with Nike has beenextended for one year. Nike quarter-zip pullovers will be the 2016-17 MVCstudent-athlete gift. Non-Nike schools will be provided stipends to offer a similargift branded by the institution’s apparel sponsor.

6. Future Meetings.

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a. MVC Presidents Council. The MVC Presidents Council meeting scheduled onJune 16-17 in St. Louis includes athletics directors and a session with Mark Lewis,NCAA Executive VP of Championships. MVFC Presidents and ADs arescheduled to meet on June 16 prior to the MVC meetings.

b. Fall 2016 Meetings in Indianapolis. Athletics Directors, SWAs and SportsManagement Committee Meetings are scheduled to meet in September inIndianapolis with agreed upon dates of Tuesday-Wednesday, September 27-28.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:40 am on Thursday, June 2.

patty\athadmminutes.spring16

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