Division II Grants Winter Athletes Further Eligibility, Moves Swimming Championships

Photo Courtesy: Queens Athletics

NCAA’s Division II this week announced further changes to accommodate the ongoing COVID-19 disruptions, including further eligibility relief for winter athletes. The decisions were made at this week’s Division II Management Council meeting.

Winter athletes who competed in the 2020-21 season, “will receive an additional season of competition through a waiver” that extends eligibility. It’s the same flexibility afforded to spring sport athletes after the 2020 season was cancelled. The flipside to the announcement is the expectation that, from the press release, “their seasons will be impacted by COVID-19 in ways similar to fall sports.” It adds to financial aid flexibility approved by the Management Council in September.

“Winter student-athletes lost out on their championship opportunity last season and many will have shortened, conference-only seasons this year,” said Chris Graham, commissioner of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and chair of the Division II Management Council. “We believe providing the maximum season-of-competition waiver flexibility is the right thing to do for winter student-athletes who continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Council also approved a one-week delay for the 2021 Division II men’s and women’s swimming and diving championships, from March 10-13 to March 17-20. The location remains Birmingham, Alabama. The stated reason is to break up the 2021 Division II National Championships festival, which had the wrestling, swimming and indoor track & field championships held simultaneously at the same location. Delaying swimming reduces the amount of people at the CrossPlex in Birmingham to aid with social distancing. The wrestling championships will shift location. Last year’s Division II championships were halted mid-meet as the NCAA came to a screeching halt in March.

With the extra week to the season comes an extension of the allowable practice days for swimming and diving from 144 days to 151.

Other changes from the Division II Management Council meeting include a reduction of the minimum basketball contests for selection to the men’s and women’s championships from 15 to 11, due to the compressed basketball season that won’t start until Jan. 1 in many places.

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