The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP) has delayed rules changes in 5 sports for a year in order to help programs offset the financial impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Among those 5 sports are swimming & diving. Starting in the 2020-2021 season, dual, double-dual, triangular, and quadrangular meets in Division II and Division III were going to be required to have two officials rather than the current one. The new rules also would have required four officials for invitational and championship meets. Instead, the rule has been pushed off to the 2021-2022 season.
These rules already went into effect for Division I in the 2019-2020 season.
The previous rules called for a “sufficient number of officials to properly conduct the meet,” with no mandated minimums. The NCAA continues to ‘recommend’ that there be a minimum of 2 officials for dual, triangular, and quadrangular meets and a minimum of 6 officials for championship and invitational competition.
At regular-season swimming & diving competitions, including duals, triangulars, and quadrangulars, at the NCAA level, many officials are volunteers. While no good figures are available on the rates for officials, one Division I program told SwimSwam that they spend about $1,000 per year on officials.
Other Changes being delayed for other sports:
- In baseball, Divisions II and III were scheduled to begin regular-season bat barrel compression testing in spring 2021. Instead, Division II and III baseball programs must be compliant with the rule by spring 2022. The rule was in effect for Division I baseball programs this spring.
- Division II and III men’s basketball programs were scheduled to move their three-point lines to the international distance of 22 feet, 1¾ inches for the 2020-21 season. Instead, the rule change will be delayed until 2021-22 for Division II and III men’s basketball competition. The rule was in effect for Division I men’s basketball this past season.
- In men’s lacrosse, teams in all three divisions were going to be required to have two visible shot clocks with the ability to reset them to different times by the 2021 season. That requirement will be delayed until 2022.
- Softball was scheduled to require bat barrel compression testing for Division I competition in spring 2021. This rule is now delayed until spring 2022. Division II and III softball teams are still required to do regular-season bat testing by spring 2022, which is the original time frame.
