Men’s & Women’s Tennis Code of Conduct
As Of: 3/22/2017
I.
OVERVIEW
A. Administrative Authority
Administrative authority shall be the Sports Committee and overseen by the athletic administrator
appointed as liaison to the Sports Committee and the Association Executive. Any resolution passed
by the Sport Committee must be approved by the Athletic Administrators Committee before it is
enacted and included in the Code of Conduct.
B. Committee Membership
All Landmark members that sponsor men’s or women’s tennis at the varsity level shall be
represented on the committee. Each institution shall have one representative per gender. Unless
otherwise specified by an institution’s athletics director, an institution’s head coach shall serve as
the representative.
C. Voting
Each institution shall possess one vote on matters brought forth for a vote. Votes for gender-specific
items shall be cast by the respective representative, if an institution has more than one
representative on the committee. The total number of votes cast on any item (for-against-abstain)
shall not exceed eight.
D. Duties of Committee
The committee will meet at least once annually, either in-person or via conference call, to discuss
sport-specific manners, review the code of conduct, and recommend changes to the athletic
administrators as necessary.
E. Sport Chair
The chair shall be appointed by the committee and serve a two-year term.
 Men’s & Women’s Tennis Chair: Dana Dowd, Catholic (September 2015 – May 2017)
 Men’s & Women’s Tennis Vice Chair: Matthew Brisotti, Drew
 Administrative Liaison: Greg Curley, Juniata
F. Duties of Chair
The duties of the chair are as follows:
1. Organize meetings of the committee, at least once annually and additionally as necessary;
compile and distribute the agenda for all meetings; supervise the meeting; record attendance
and minutes
2. Provide the Commissioner and the Athletics Administrator Liaison with a written report
outlining all discussion, action, and voting which occurred during the meeting
3. Within one week after the meeting, distribute a copy of the minutes to the members of the
committee, the designated liaison, and the conference office. The Commissioner will distribute
the minutes to delegates of the Athletics Administrators Committee for consideration and vote,
as necessary
4. Communicate and explain voting items to the designated sport liaison
II.
SPORTSMANSHIP/ETHICAL CONDUCT
Sportsmanship and the proper treatment of all individuals are core beliefs of the Landmark Conference
and its members. Students, staff, and all other members of an institution should adhere to the
fundamental values of respect, fairness, civility, honesty, and responsibility. Coaches should conduct
themselves in ways that promote the character development of participants to enhance the integrity of
higher education, and to promote civility in society, student-athletes, coaches, and other participants
associated with athletics programs and events.
III.
ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS
Unless otherwise specified in the Code of Conduct, or the Landmark Bylaws, all institutions shall conduct
their programs according to the guidelines outlined in the most recent edition of the NCAA Division III
manual.
IV.
SPORT-SPECIFIC REGULATIONS
A. Rules
Matches shall be conducted per the specifications outlined by the ITA and the USTA.
B. Scheduling
The conference schedule shall be developed by the conference office and approved by the Athletics
Administrators Committee. Schedules shall be constructed in an effort to minimize missed class time
and reduce time away from campus. Each team shall play two back-to-back match weekends (one
home, one away), two additional Saturday dates (one home, one away), and one mid-week match.
1. Conference Priority
Conference contests shall take priority over non-conference contests.
2. Match Times
A match scheduled to take place on a class day shall start no earlier than 2:30 p.m. A match
scheduled to take place on a non-class day (for both teams) shall start no earlier than 12:00 p.m.
Match times may be altered by competing teams as long as the athletics directors of both
institutions mutually agree.
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3. Postponed Match & Rescheduling
If a match is postponed (due to inclement weather, etc.), the athletics directors of the
competing teams must mutually agree on a make-up date, with the host institution informing
the conference office of the rescheduled date and time.
All rescheduling shall follow the guidelines as outlined in IV.B.1.
4. Environmental Conditions at Scheduled Game Time
The following guidelines shall be used regarding environmental conditions:
a. Cold Weather
If for two of the four hours from the match start time, the temperature
(actual or wind chill) does not exceed 45° F, or the sustained wind will be in
excess of 20 miles per hour, then the match shall be rescheduled to a date or
time when conditions are forecast to have improved. For tournaments, these
minimums must be employed for at least half of the projected playing time.
b. Heat Index
In the event that the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is greater than 88°
F, then competition shall be suspended until a point when conditions have
improved.
The host institution athletic training staff shall be responsible for monitoring weather conditions
and determining whether a contest shall take place, in consultation with staff members from
competing teams and game officials. Every effort to reschedule or postpone a contest shall be
made prior to the visiting team’s departure for the site of competition.
Additional information regarding policies and procedures for extreme heat and cold weather
conditions is available in the Landmark Athletic Trainers Code of Conduct.
5. Altering Conference Schedule
With the exception of a team’s final match of the regular season, institutions are free to alter
the approved conference schedule as long as the athletics directors of both competing teams
mutually agree. All changes to the conference schedule must be reported to the conference
office by the host institution.
The final match of the regular season cannot be moved without approval from the conference
office.
6. End of Season
The regular season schedule shall be completed by the Saturday prior to the start of the
conference championship.
C. Contest Management
1. Pre-Match Protocol
It is the responsibility of the host institution to inform the visiting team and all match officials of
the pre-match protocol.
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2. Officials
The host institution is responsible for securing ITA/USTA certified officials for all regular season
matches. If a match is using three-or-fewer courts, then one official shall be required. If a match
is using more than three courts, then two officials shall be required.
3. Coaches
No more than three coaches shall be allowed in the court area during a match. Coaches must be
identified prior to the start of a match.
4. Equipment
The host institution is responsible for providing game balls. Singles sticks will be used for
conference matches.
5. Warm-Up & Introductions
There shall be no lineup introductions or warm-ups between opposing doubles teams. Doubles
matches shall begin with the coin flip and proceed immediately to competition. Singles matches
will begin immediately following the completion of doubles matches; a break shall not be
permitted.
If a singles player did not play doubles, then a 10 minute warm up shall be allowed. If the match
is being played on three courts, then the second round of singles matches will also be allowed a
10 minute warm-up.
6. Announcements
The following statement shall be read aloud by a member of the host institution’s staff to all
participants during the declaration of lineups, and shared with all match officials prior to the
start of the match:
“Spectators, coaches, players, officials, and all match personnel shall adhere at
all times to (the host institution’s) and the Landmark Conference’s guidelines for
sportsmanship and proper etiquette. It is not permissible at any time for anyone
to use negative comments about an individual’s physique or culture, or to use
profanity, racial, or sexist comments, taunt, or engage in other intimidating
actions directed toward other individuals. Failure to adhere to these guidelines
will result in activation of the ITA Point Penalty System, and in extreme cases,
forfeiture of the match. Additionally, individuals who fail to adhere to these
guidelines may be removed from the site of competition and subject to
supplemental discipline by the institution or the conference.”
It is recommended that the above statement be displayed in match programs or visibly
displayed at the site of competition for all individuals to review.
7. Order of Play
Matches shall begin with doubles play. After all doubles matches have been completed, singles
play shall commence beginning with #1 singles and descending through the ladder.
8. Match Result
Matches shall be played to completion, unless mutually agreed by both teams prior to the start
of the match to play to decision. Once the outcome of a match has been decided, any remaining
singles matches that have not already begun a third set shall play a 10-point tie-breaker in lieu
of the third set.
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9. Suspended Match
If a match is halted before it is completed, and the match has achieved a decision, then decision
shall take precedence, barring all attempts to continue the match on the scheduled day. If a
halted match has not achieved a decision, then it must be continued from the point of
suspension within 48 hours, as per ITA/USTA rules. Any halted match that is not resumed within
48 hours must be started over.
10. Matches Moved Indoors
If a match begins outside and moves indoors, individual matches in progress shall be played to
completion. The match official(s) shall determine if a match shall be moved indoors.
If a match begins indoors, then a 10-point tie-breaker shall be used in lieu of a third set.
11. Exhibition Matches
Exhibition matches may be scheduled as part of a match, however competition that impacts the
result of the match shall take precedence in the scheduled order of play. Exhibition matches
shall not be conducted/continued if a match is forced indoors.
D. Scouting/Film Exchange
It is impermissible for teams to share scouting information regarding conference teams with nonconference teams.
E. Incomplete Season
In the event that a team or teams are unable to complete their conference schedule, the conference
office, in consultation with the athletics directors, if necessary, shall determine the qualifying teams
and seeding for the conference championship. Options for determining seeding and selection
include, but are not limited to: winning percentage in conference contests, treating all matches
played against teams that did not complete their season as non-conference matches, treating any
matches that are unable to be played as forfeits for the responsible team, and other actions, as
discovered.
V.
CHAMPIONSHIP REGULATIONS
A. Qualification
The top four teams in the conference standings following the completion of the regular season shall
qualify for the Landmark championship. Standings shall be sorted by conference winning
percentage.
B. Tie-Breaking Procedure
In the event two (or more) teams tie in the conference standings, the following procedure shall be
used to determine seeding for the championship:
1. Head-to-head record amongst all tied teams in contests that count toward the conference
standings
2. Comparison of tied teams’ records against remaining teams in conference standings in
descending order (starting at No. 1)
3. Match differential (W-L) in matches played amongst tied teams
4. Set differential (W-L) in matches played amongst tied teams
5. Comparison of games lost in matches played amongst tied teams, with the team(s) owning the
lowest total gaining the advantage
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6. Head-to-head results between and among all tied teams in all regular season contests (only if
tied teams played the same amount of contests against other tied teams)
7. Head-to-head record against common non-conference opponents at same site
8. Head-to-head record against common non-conference opponents at different site
9. Coin flip (or similar random action)
Application of Tie-Breaking Procedure
In a tie of more than two teams, tie-breakers shall be applied in descending order until a team or a
group of teams have gained an advantage and the initial tie has been broken. Teams shall be seeded
accordingly based upon where they rank within the group of tied teams. If a sub-group (or groups)
of tied teams are created by applying tie-breaking criteria to the original group, the tie-breaking
process begins anew for the sub-group (or groups) until all teams can be seeded.
In a tie of more than two teams, when a random action is used to break the tie, the tie-breaking
process shall begin anew starting with the first criteria (head-to-head) once one team has gained the
advantage.
In the event of multiple ties in the standings, the ties will be broken in descending order, unless a
lower seeded tie can be broken by using the first criteria (head-to-head). When comparing tied
teams against positions lower in the standings which are also tied, those “lower tied positions” shall
be considered as a “single position” for purposes of comparison, unless those “lower tied positions”
were broken through head-to-head comparison.
If two or more groups of teams are tied, the seeding for one group of tied teams, even if determined
by a random action, shall be considered for tie-breaking purposes for any remaining groups.
C. Format
The championship shall be conducted one week prior to the NCAA tournament selection date. The
team that wins the championship shall receive the conference’s automatic qualification to the NCAA
tournament.
Semifinals
The higher-seeded team shall host. If a higher-seeded team is unable to host, then the lower-seeded
team shall be afforded the opportunity to host. Match time is at the discretion of the host
institution, but cannot begin prior to 3:00 p.m.
In odd years, men’s semifinal matches will occur on Tuesday and women’s matches will occur on
Wednesday; in even years, women’s semifinal matches will occur on Tuesday and men’s matches
will occur on Wednesday.
Championship
The final round shall take place on the Saturday prior to NCAA tournament selections. The higherseeded team shall host. If a higher-seeded team is unable to host, then the lower-seeded team shall
be afforded the opportunity to host. Match time is 1:00 p.m.
If an institution is scheduled to host both the men’s and women’s final, or a conflict arises for an
institution that has both its men’s and women’s teams in the championship, then the gender which
had its semifinals on Wednesday shall conduct its championship on Sunday. Sunday’s match shall
start at 12:00 p.m.
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D. Rescheduling
In the event matches must be rescheduled, the host institution Athletics Director shall work with the
conference office and the Athletics Director from the visiting team to determine the best course of
action.
E. Indoor Facility
The host institution shall make arrangements for an indoor facility for every round it hosts. Before
any commitment is made that requires payment for the facility, the host institution shall consult
with the conference office to determine the best course of action. The conference office will
reimburse 50% (up to $600) of the cost the host institution incurs for use of an indoor facility.
F. Indoor Singles Order of Play
If a match begins indoors, and the an indoor facility does not have enough courts to allow all six
singles matches to begin at the same time, then play shall begin with #1 singles and continue in
descending order until the match is decided.
G. Incomplete Championship
Every effort shall be made to conduct the championship as scheduled. Prior to any match being
postponed or rescheduled, the host institution Athletics Director shall work with the conference
office and the visiting team’s Athletics Director to determine the best course of action. Should it
become necessary (due to unplayable conditions, inclement weather, etc.), a higher-seeded team
may be advanced to the next round in order to complete the championship. If all attempts to
complete the championship have failed, then the highest remaining seed shall receive the
conference’s AQ to the NCAA tournament.
H. Lineups
All teams must submit their championship lineup to the conference office no later than seven days
prior to the start of the semifinals. Lineups shall consist of four doubles teams and eight singles
players listed in ladder order. Protests of lineups must be made in writing no later than 24 hours
following the distribution of lineups. Protests shall be considered per VII.A and follow ITA rules.
I.
Contest Management
The host institution shall follow the contest management guidelines as outlined for the regular
season, with the following exceptions:
1. Officials
The conference office shall be in charge of assigning officials for all championship matches. Two
officials shall be assigned for each match. The host institution is responsible for the payment of
all officials during the championship.
The host institution is responsible for providing event management officials (site director,
statistician, ball persons, etc.) for all matches it hosts. Event management personnel are to be
neutral in the performance of their duties.
2. Facility & Equipment
The facility shall be ready at least 60 minutes prior to the start of the match. The host institution
is responsible for providing competition balls.
3. Order of Play
Matches shall begin with doubles play. After all doubles matches have been completed, singles
play shall commence. If the host institution does not have enough courts to allow all six singles
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matches to begin at the same time, then play shall begin with #1 singles and continue in
descending order until the match is decided.
4. Introductions
Participating individuals shall be introduced. The prohibition on introducing doubles players, as
outlined in IV.C.5 shall not apply during the championship.
5. Match Result
Matches shall be played to decision.
6. Post-Championship Match Protocol
The host institution site director shall coordinate the awards ceremony. Following the
completion of the championship, the winning teams shall gather. The captains from the winning
team shall accept the championship trophy. The championship team shall receive individual
prizes, the championship MVP shall be recognized, and the champions shall gather for an official
team photo.
J.
VI.
Awards
The champion shall receive a trophy. A championship MVP shall be named following the completion
of the final, as determined by the host institution’s sports information director or their designate.
Individuals from the championship team shall receive a prize. No other awards or recognition shall
be given.
ANNUAL AWARDS
The conference office shall manage the annual awards program. All teams are required to vote for
conference honors. Teams cannot vote for their own nominees.
A. All-Landmark Teams
Two All-Landmark teams shall be named following the completion of the regular season, with each
team consisting of six individual players and three doubles teams. Each team may nominate up to
four singles players and two doubles teams for consideration. Nominees must have played in a
minimum number of conference matches as follows: Men – 4; Women - 3
B. Individual Awards
The following individual honors shall be voted on by the coaches and recognized by the conference:
1. Player of the Year
2. Rookie of the Year; nominees for ROTY must be in their first year of intercollegiate competition
3. Coaching Staff of the Year
C. All-Sportsmanship Team
The All-Sportsmanship Team recognizes student-athletes who epitomize the ideals of
sportsmanship. Student-athletes selected to the All-Sportsmanship team demonstrate fair play,
graciousness in victory and respectfulness in defeat. They are ambassadors for the team, both on
and off the field, and galvanize their teammates toward their goals. These student-athletes exhibit
respect for themselves, teammates, coaches, opponents, officials, spectators, and the greater
campus community.
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During the All-Landmark nomination period, each team will nominate one individual who embodies
these ideals throughout the season to be a member of the Landmark All-Sportsmanship team. These
individuals will be selected by their own team and coaching staff and submitted to the Conference
Office. Only one student from each team shall be honored. Each nominee has achieved varsity
status as a member of their team.
VII.
DISPUTES
Disputes shall be handled at the institutional level. If a dispute cannot be resolved by the Athletics
Directors of involved institutions, then the Landmark Conference Commissioner shall intervene in order
to facilitate a resolution.
A. Protests
All protests shall follow the appropriate ITA protocol within the following guidelines.
1. Filing a Protest
Protests shall be filed in writing with the conference office within 24 hours of the match.
Following the receipt of a protest, the institution in question shall have 24 hours to provide a
written response.
2. Review of Protest
The Protest Committee shall review all protests. The committee shall forward its
recommendation to the Commissioner for a final decision no later than three business days
after the receipt of the rebuttal.
3. Protest Committee Representatives
The Protest Committee shall consist of the Chair and the Vice Chair of the Tennis Committee,
along with a third representative appointed for a one-year term via the following rotation
beginning in 2016-17:
Juniata; Moravian; Scranton; Susquehanna; Catholic; Drew;
Elizabethtown; Goucher.
a. Determining Third Representative
In determining the third representative on the committee, if an institution is already
represented on the Protest Committee via the Chair or Vice Chair of the Tennis Committee,
then the next representative as designated by the rotation shall serve as the third
representative.
If an institution has more than one head coach, then it shall determine, prior to the start of
the conference schedule, which individual shall serve as its representative on the Protest
Committee. If a determination is not made prior to the start of the conference schedule,
then the conference office shall determine the representative.
b. Conflict of Interest
If a member of the Protest Committee is an involved party to a protest, then they shall be
replaced by the next representative as designated by the rotation.
4. Decision
The Commissioner shall review the recommendation of the Protest Committee and announce a
decision no later than one business day following the receipt of the recommendation.
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5. Appeals
Appeal of the decision made by the Commissioner shall be heard by the Athletics
Administrators’ committee at their next scheduled meeting. Any decision made by the Athletics
Administrators’ committee is final.
6. Conference Championship
Protests of lineups published for the conference championship must be submitted to the
conference office no later than 24 hours after championship lineups have been published on the
conference website. Following the receipt of a protest, the institution in question shall have 24
hours to provide a written response.
The Protest Committee shall forward its recommendation to the Commissioner within 24 hours
of receipt of the rebuttal. The Commissioner shall announce a decision within 24 hours of
receipt of the recommendation. Appeal of the decision shall be heard by the Chair of the
Athletics Administrators’ committee, or their designate if a conflict-of-interest exists. An appeal
must be filed immediately, and a decision shall be rendered prior to the start of the semifinal
round.
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