Section 13: NJAC Sport Guidelines
Women’s and Men’s Outdoor Track and Field
A. LEAGUE ORGANIZATION
1. Members
Farmingdale State College
Montclair State University
Ramapo College
Richard Stockton College
Rowan University
Rutgers University-Camden
Rutgers-Newark
St. Joseph’s College-Long Island
The College of New Jersey
2.
Regular Season Scheduling Format
a. There are no regular season scheduling requirements.
3.
Champion Determination
a. The conference champions shall be determined by the winners of the
championship meet, to be held in May.
b. There will be a women’s conference champion and a men’s conference
champion.
c. All conference members listed above are eligible to compete in the
championship meet.
4.
Rules Governing Competition
a. NCAA rules will be used to govern the conference championship meet.
b. NJAC modifications may be made, pending agreement by a majority vote of
the head coaches.
5.
Contest Site, Staff and Equipment
a. Equipment and uniforms must meet all NCAA specifications.
b. NJAC minimum standards for sports information must be followed (see
Section 8 of this manual). The SID at the host institution will handle the
sports information duties for the championship meet.
c. NJAC minimum medical care standards must be followed (see Section 2 of
this manual).
B. CHAMPIONSHIP REGULATIONS
1. Format
a. The outdoor track and field chair will coordinate the championship meet in
conjunction with the host institution. Together they will supervise the entry
process, arrange for officials and establish the entry fees.
b. The suggested order of events in the NCAA rulebook will be used as a
guideline. The order of events may be changed, added to, or deleted from by
a majority vote of the head coaches. Any changes made should reflect
consideration of student-athlete welfare and/or better utilization of the
facilities.
c. Student-athletes at conference institutions which do not sponsor track and
field at the varsity level will not be eligible to participate.
2. Site
a. For sites to be considered, the facility must have eight lanes and be able to
accommodate all field events. The current site rotation is as follows:
2015: Ramapo College
2016: Farmingdale State College
2017: Richard Stockton College
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3.
Officials
a.
It is preferred that the championship meet officials be certified by USA Track
and Field.
C. PROTESTS
1. Protests must be submitted in accordance with NCAA rules at the time of occurrence.
2. The track and field chair must be notified of the protest within one business day
following the meet.
3. The track and field chair is responsible for notifying the Commissioner of any protests
filed.
4. The track and field chair and the Commissioner will review all protests jointly. If the
sport chair’s institution is involved in the protest, the Commissioner will appoint another
member of the Board of Athletic Administrators whose institution was not involved in
the protest to assist in the decision.
5. An appeal of this decision may be made following the procedure outlined in Section 7 of
this Policies and Procedures Manual.
D. AWARDS
1. General Regulations
a. All awards will be determined by final finish results at the conference
championship meet.
b. The outdoor track and field chair will be responsible for reviewing the results
of the meet and determining the award winners, assisted by the Commissioner
as needed. The chair is responsible for ensuring that the conference awards
policy (Section 4 of this manual) is followed throughout the process.
c. The Commissioner will be responsible for publicizing the awards.
2.
3.
4.
All-Conference Teams
a. There will be a women’s all-conference team and a men’s all-conference
team.
b. The top finishers in each event at the NJAC championship will be named to
the all-conference first team; the second finisher in each event will be named
to the second team; and the third place finisher will be named honorable
mention.
Special Awards
a. The Thomas M. Gerrity Award will be given annually to the Outstanding
Female and Outstanding Male Athletes (track or field), as voted on by the
coaches.
b. The Outstanding Track Athletes (female and male) and the Outstanding Field
Athletes (female and male) will also be selected at the conclusion of the
championship meet, as voted on by the coaches.
c. Conference Rookie Athletes of the Year (female and male) will also be
selected, as voted on by the coaches. A rookie is defined as a first-year
intercollegiate participant, and can be a track or field competitor.
Coach of the Year
a. All coaches are eligible for this award, as voted by their peers.
b. Voting will take place at a designated time following the championship meet.
E. MEETINGS
1. There will be two coaches meetings, either or both of which can be conducted via
conference call.
2.
Attendance/participation by the head coach or other professional member of the
institution’s athletic department staff is required.
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Section 13: NJAC Sport Guidelines
Baseball
A. LEAGUE ORGANIZATION
1. Members
Kean University
Montclair State University
New Jersey City University
Ramapo College
Richard Stockton College
2.
Rowan University
Rutgers University-Camden
Rutgers-Newark
The College of New Jersey
William Paterson University
Regular Season Scheduling
a. The Commissioner and baseball chair are responsible for producing a
conference schedule on a two-year cycle.
b. All conference schedule changes must be requested of the sport chair and
approved by the Commissioner before being executed.
c. Each team plays two games versus each other school for a total of 18
conference games. Single games are played on weekdays and doubleheaders
are played on Saturdays.
d. In the event a game or games must be suspended or are unable to be played
due to inclement weather or other emergency, the following policy will be in
effect:
i.
Single games will be played on the first available Monday, or
another day earlier if available and mutually agreed upon. If
Monday is an inclement weather day, the game shall automatically
be re-scheduled in the following order: first available Tuesday,
first available Wednesday. If either team has a non-conference
game scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday, it will not be
considered “available.”
ii.
Doubleheaders will be played on the first available Sunday.
iii.
Sundays must be left available for the make-up of conference
doubleheaders and should not be used for the make-up of single
games unless all conference doubleheaders have been completed to
that point.
iv.
Doubleheaders may be rescheduled as single games only after the
second week of the conference schedule at the discretion of the
Commissioner and baseball chair.
v.
When multiple rain-outs occur, games played on the predetermined make-up date (i.e., Sunday or Monday) must be played
in the order in which the games were originally scheduled, e.g. a
game scheduled for the first Saturday of conference play takes
precedence in rescheduling on the first available Sunday over the
game scheduled for Saturday of week 2.
e. Conference contest(s) will be postponed due to cold weather only if there is
mutual agreement among administrators of both competing institutions. If one
institution deems the temperature as playable, the contest(s) must be played as
scheduled.
f. Unless both institutions agree otherwise, the make-up game designated for
Easter Sunday shall be played on the next available Sunday.
g. All single conference games played on weekdays will start at 3:30 PM. Prior
to April 1, the start time will be 3:00 PM, except for host schools that have
fields equipped with lights. There must be mutual administrative consent to
start a game later than the required weekday time.
h. All doubleheader conference games played on weekends will start at 11:30
AM, except for schools that have fields equipped with lights. There must be
mutual administrative consent to start a doubleheader at any time later than
11:30 AM.
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3.
Champion Determination
a. The conference champion is determined by the winner of the conference
tournament.
b. The top six teams in the regular season, as determined by points accrued in the
conference standings, will participate in the tournament. Points are accrued as
follows:
Win=2 pts.
Tie=1 pt.
Loss=0 pts.
c. The conference champion will receive the automatic qualifier bid to the
NCAA Tournament.
i. In the event the tournament is never started and unable to be played, the
conference champion will be the team with the most points accrued in
regular season competition which received the top seed in the
conference tournament.
ii. In the event the tournament is begun but unable to be completed, the
following formula shall be used: up until one team becomes 3-0, the
highest-seeded team that has not been eliminated will be declared the
conference champion and will receive the NCAA automatic bid. If
teams have an equal number of losses, the higher-seeded team will be
declared the conference champion and will receive the NCAA
automatic qualification.
B. GENERAL REGULATIONS
1. Rules Governing Competition
a. NCAA rules will govern all conference regular season and championship
tournament play.
b. Rules on fighting, leaving positions to participate in a fight, pitchers
intentionally throwing at batters, and verbal abuse will be strictly enforced.
c. All games, regardless of whether single or doubleheaders, will be nine
innings.
d. Tie games are completed games (5+ innings) that are halted due to darkness,
weather, or any reason designated by the umpire. They are counted in the
standings as ties and are not continued for any reason.
e. During the regular season, if a game is halted before the completion of five
innings, it is not an official game and must be re-played from the beginning.
2.
Contest Site, Staff and Equipment
a. NJAC minimum standards for sports information must be followed (see
Section 8 of this manual for details).
b. NJAC minimum medical care standards must be followed (see Section 2 of
this manual for details).
c. The home team should provide one bullpen per team. They should be of
equal quality.
d. Safety screens for first base and second base and an L-shaped safety screen
for the pitching mound should be available for practice.
e. Each team will be allotted exactly 35 minutes of batting practice time before
each conference contest.
f. The official conference ball will be the ball used in the NCAA Tournament.
g. Bats must be officially certified by the NCAA as meeting the NCAA safety
standards.
h. Access to team dugouts will be restricted to enrolled students or employees of
the institution.
3.
Officials
a.
The official conference assignor must be used for all umpire assignments.
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C. CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT REGULATIONS
Note: The rules in the NCAA Baseball Championships Handbook shall be followed unless
otherwise indicated in the NJAC guidelines.
1.
Format
a.
b.
The top six teams as determined by total points accrued in overall conference
play will be involved in the championship tournament.
In the event that there is a tie for any place in the top six, the following tiebreaker procedure shall be used:
First Place Tie
i. head-to-head competition
ii. record vs. teams #2-10 individually, until tie is broken
iii. coin toss; if 3 or more teams are tied, coin toss: odd team out is
awarded first place; toss again, winner is awarded second place and
loser is awarded third place*
Second Place Tie
i. head-to-head competition
ii. record vs. teams #1, 3-10 individually, until tie is broken
iii. coin toss; if 3 or more teams are tied, coin toss: odd team out is
awarded second place; toss again, winner is awarded third place and
loser is awarded fourth place*
Third Place Tie
i. head-to-head competition
ii. record vs. teams #1-2, 4-10 individually, until tie is broken
iii. coin toss; if 3 or more teams are tied, coin toss: odd team out is
awarded third place; toss again, winner is awarded fourth place and
loser is awarded fifth place*
Fourth Place Tie
i. head-to-head competition
ii. record vs. teams #1-3, 5-10 individually, until tie is broken
iii. coin toss; if 3 or more teams are tied, coin toss: odd team out is
awarded fourth place; toss again, winner is awarded fifth place, and
loser is awarded sixth place*
Fifth Place Tie
i. head-to-head competition
ii. record vs. teams #1-4, 6-10 individually, until tie is broken
iv. coin toss; if 3 or more teams are tied, coin toss: odd team out is
awarded fifth place; playoff game for sixth place between two
remaining teams on Sunday with coin toss to determine home team
Sixth Place Tie
i. head-to-head competition
ii. record vs. teams #1-5, 7-10 individually, until tie is broken
iii. playoff game on Sunday with home team determined by coin toss; if 3
or more teams are tied, playoff games: coin toss determines first round
bye (odd team out gets bye); other two teams play on Sunday, with coin
toss determining site; winner plays bye team on Monday at the site of
the Sunday game winner. Winner of Monday contest is the 6th seed in
the tournament
* NOTE: See p. 7 of Policies and Procedures Manual for interpretation of 3-way (or
more) tiebreak procedure for all sports.
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c.
d.
The tournament will be a double-elimination format.
The following schedule shall be followed for the six-team tournament:
First round games will be played on Tuesday at campus sites. Wednesday will
serve as a first round rain date. Pairings are as follows:
Game 1: #6 at #1, 3:30 PM
Game 2: #5 at #2, 3:30 PM
Game 3: #4 at #3, 3:30 PM
Second round games will be played on Thursday at campus sites. Friday will
serve as the second round rain date. Pairings are as follows:
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 3:30 PM
Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 1, 3:30 PM
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 2, 3:30 PM
If four teams remain after Game 6, the following format will be used:
Saturday
Game 7: Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser Game 6, 8:30 AM
Game 8: Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner Game 5, 11:30 AM
Game 9: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 2:30 PM
Sunday
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, Noon
Game 11: If needed, same teams as Game 10, TBA
If five teams remain after Game 6, the following format will be used:
Saturday
Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 8:30 AM
Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 11:30 AM
Game 9: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7, 2:30 PM
If two teams remain after Game 9, the following format is used:
Sunday
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, Noon
Game 11: If needed, same teams as Game 10, TBA
If three teams remain after Game 9, the following format is used:
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 9, Noon
Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 4:00 PM
Monday will serve as the mandatory rain date with the highest remaining seed
entering play on Saturday required to host the Monday championship round
make-up, regardless of whether its team has been eliminated.
Please Note: The NJAC Board of Athletic Administrators may implement an
alternate tournament format via majority vote at one of its regularly scheduled
meetings during the academic year.
NOTE: Games shall be played as weather conditions allow. The weather
conditions at one site shall not influence the decision to play at the other site. If
one game is completed but not the other, the tournament schedule will be revised
to allow completion of the first round game at the campus site. Game times will
be determined based on whether a facility is equipped with lights.
2.
Tournament Games Committee
a. This committee will be comprised of the baseball sport chair, the baseball
umpire-in-chief, the Commissioner, and an administrator of the host
institution.
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b.
3.
Officials
a.
b.
The purpose of the games committee is to resolve protests and disciplinary
matters requiring immediate resolution, and to address tournament-related
problems regarding scheduling, facilities, equipment, etc.
Two umpires shall be assigned to work each game by the conference assignor.
The scorer of the designated home team is the official scorer.
4.
Miscellaneous
a. Squad Size: There is no limit on the squad size for the conference
tournament.
b. Determination of Home Team: For played at campus sites, the highest-seeded
team will be designated as the home team. In subsequent games of the
tournament, the home team shall be determined according to the following
formula in the order stated:
(1) The institution that has been the home team the fewer number
of times in the tournament will be designated the home team
(2) If the two teams are equal in this respect but unequal in the
number of times they were the visitor, then the team that has
been the visitor more often will be designated the home team
(3) If the two teams are equal in the number of times that they
have been home and visitor, the following procedure will be
observed in the order stated:
a. If the two teams have met previously in the tournament, the
visitor in the previous game shall be the home team in the
game in question.
b. The team that was visitor in its preceding game shall be the
home team, unless both teams were visitors in their preceding
games; or
c. If the above procedures do not resolve the matter, the home
team shall be determined by lot.
c. Pre-Game Schedule: Follow schedule in NCAA Championships Handbook.
d. Halted Game Rule: A halted game must be played to completion in the
conference tournament.
e. 12-Run Rule: Does not apply in the conference tournament.
f. Protests: Shall be handled by the Tournament Games Committee, following
the procedure outlined in the NCAA Baseball Championships Handbook.
5.
Gate Fees/Expenses
a. Gate fees and expense reimbursement shall follow the policy established in
Section 1 (B) of this manual. Gate fess will be charged for all rounds of the
tournament, including the first round contests held on campus sites.
D. PROTESTS
1. Protests must be submitted in accordance with NCAA rules at the time of occurrence.
2. The baseball chair must be notified of the protest within one business day following the game.
The baseball chair is responsible for notifying the Commissioner of any protests filed.
3. The baseball chair and/or the Commissioner will contact both coaches to determine each
of their versions of the incident. They will then contact the assignor of officials to review
the protest.
4. An appeal of this decision may be made following the procedure outlined in Section 7 of
this manual.
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E. AWARDS
1. General Regulations
a. The baseball chair shall be responsible for administering the nomination and
selection process for all awards, assisted by the Commissioner as needed. The
chair is responsible for ensuring that the conference awards policy (Section 4
of this manual) is followed throughout the process.
b. The Commissioner will be responsible for publicizing all awards.
c. Coaches may not vote for their own players.
d. Conference-only statistics may only be used as the nominating criteria.
2.
All-Conference Team
a. First, second and honorable mention all-conference teams will be selected,
consisting of 12 players each: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF (3), DH, UP, P (2).
b. A conference staggered nomination system will be used based on a team’s
final finish in conference regular season standings. The specific nomination
limits will be determined by the NJAC Board of Athletic Administrators.
3.
Player of the Year
a. This award is known as the “Bill Dioguardi Award,” given annually to the
most outstanding player in the conference as voted by the head coaches.
b. This player must be chosen from among, not in addition to, the first team.
c. This award winner may not be a DH.
d. This award must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
4.
Rookie of the Year
a. A rookie is defined as a first-year collegiate player.
b. This award winner cannot be a pitcher.
c. This award must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
5.
Pitcher of the Year
a. Only one award winner is chosen.
b. This player must be chosen from among, not in addition to, the first team.
c. This award must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
6.
Fireman of the Year
a. Cannot be a starting pitcher.
b. This award must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
7.
Coach of the Year
a. Must have a .500 record or better in conference play to be eligible.
b. Any coach who meets this criteria will be automatically placed on the ballot.
c. This award must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
B. MEETINGS
1. There are two annual coaches meetings: pre-season and post-season.
2.
Both meetings may be conducted via conference call if so desired.
3.
The head coach or institutional representative must attend/participate.
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Section 14: NJAC Sport Guidelines
Softball
A. LEAGUE ORGANIZATION
1. Members
Kean University
Montclair State University
New Jersey City University
Ramapo College
Richard Stockton College
Rowan University
Rutgers University-Camden
Rutgers-Newark
The College of New Jersey
William Paterson University
2.
Regular Season Scheduling
a. The playing schedule will consist of a doubleheader round robin format for a total of 18
conference games.
b. Changes to the conference schedule must be requested of the sport chair and approved by
the Commissioner before being executed.
c. Game days are Tuesdays and Saturdays. Weekday games will begin at 2:30pm prior to
daylight savings with the exception of host schools that have fields equipped with lights.
After daylight savings, weekday games will begin at 3:00pm. Weekend games will begin
at 1:00pm, unless otherwise agreed upon by the two institutions involved. The second
game of a doubleheader will begin no sooner than 10 minutes and no more than 20
minutes after both teams have vacated the field from the first game.
d. Forfeiture times will be determined as per the NCAA rule book. The second game of a
doubleheader will be forfeited 10 minutes after forfeiture of the first game.
e. Sundays are reserved for make-up games due to inclement weather. The weatherpostponed or suspended game will automatically be rescheduled for the upcoming
Sunday, unless both institutions agree to play on an earlier date. If weather forces a
Sunday postponement, the game will be automatically be rescheduled for the next day
(Monday).
f. Institutional administrators (not coaches) will have the ability to change the designated
make-up sequence for the sole purpose of reducing weekday travel and minimizing
missed class time. All changes in the make-up sequence must be communicated to the
Commissioner and the softball chair.
g. Conference contest(s) will be postponed due to cold weather only if there is mutual
agreement among administrators (not coaches) of both competing institutions. If one
institutional administrator deems the temperature as playable, the contest(s) must be
played as scheduled.
3.
Champion Determination
a. The champion will be the winner of the conference tournament.
b. The tournament champion will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA
tournament.
i. In the event the tournament is unable to be played, the champion will
be the team finishing first in the regular season and receiving the top
seed in the conference tournament.
ii. In the event the tournament is begun but unable to be completed, the
following procedure shall be used: up until one team becomes 3-0, the
highest-seeded team that has not been eliminated will be declared the
conference champion and will receive the NCAA automatic bid. If
teams have an equal number of losses, the higher-seeded team will be
declared the conference champion and will receive the NCAA
automatic qualification.
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B. GENERAL REGULATIONS
1. Rules Governing Play
a. NCAA rules shall be used.
b. In conference doubleheaders, the host team shall be the home team for both contests.
c. For warm-ups, the home team shall take the infield first. The field should be cleared at
least 5 minutes prior to game time.
d. For warm-up activities in which the field is shared and live batting is being conducted,
only restricted flight balls may be used.
e. For warm-up activities prior to the official 8-minute team warm-up, line balls and partner
drills should be conducted in foul territory if possible. If a field does not include
sufficient space for those activities to occur in foul territory, they should be conducted as
deep as possible on the infield surface so as not to interfere with the traditional infield
baseline box. Every effort should be made to maintain the quality of the infield surface
prior to the start of game competition.
f. During outfield batting drills using restricted flight balls, batters should be stationed on
the warning track if possible. If a warning track is not available, batters should be
stationed as close to the fence as possible.
g. As per NCAA rules, visiting teams must be given an equitable 30 minutes of pre-game
batting practice time upon request (in batting cages, on an alternate field, etc.). All
arrangements for pre-game batting must be finalized via communication between the two
head coaches a minimum of one week prior to all league contests.
h. The visiting team my play its pre-game music during its allotted fielding warm-up if an
audio sound system is available. The home team will have the option of screening the
music before the visiting warm-up period.
i. The home scorebook is the official book; the visiting team’s book shall agree in all
particulars.
j. The eight run rule shall be in effect for each game.
k. The NCAA tie-breaker rule will be used in the eighth inning during regular season play.
It will not be used during the conference tournament.
l. During the regular season, if a game is halted before the completion of five innings, it is
not an official game and must be re-played from the beginning.
m. During the regular season, if a game is halted after the completion of five innings and the
score is tied, the game shall remain a tie and shall not be resumed.
2.
Contest Site, Staff and Equipment
a. NJAC minimum medical care standards must be followed (see Section 2 of this manual).
b. NJAC minimum standards for sports information must be followed (see Section 8 of this
manual).
c. In each doubleheader, the home team shall supply all game balls.
d. Minimum field criteria for regular season games include:
i. skinned infield
ii. backstop 25’-30’ from home plate
iii. seating for a minimum of 23 for the visiting team
iv. outfield fence 190’ curving to 220’ in center field or 200-225’ all around
spectator seating
Any member not meeting these minimums must petition for a waiver.
e. Desirable field conditions include:
i. sideline fences
ii. scoreboard
iii. covered dugout
iv. pitcher warm-up area with plate and rubber, preferably one for each team
v. restrooms
f. The NCAA Championship ball shall be the official conference softball.
g. The home team has the option of uniform color for regular season games. If this choice
is something other than white, the home team must contact the visiting team coach at
least 3 business days in advance of the contest.
h. Access to team dugouts will be restricted to enrolled students and employees of the
institution.
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3.
Officials
a. League members are required to use the conference assignor for all conference contests.
b. League members are responsible for submitting all schedule information to the assignor
in accordance with established deadlines.
c. Umpires should receive notification of weather or other problems a minimum of four
hours prior to game time.
d. If the umpires show up for a single game which is cancelled or suspended due to
inclement weather, or if weather forces the cancellation, delay or suspension of the
second game of a doubleheader, the umpires must be paid.
e. In the event only one umpire is available to officiate, the game may be played only by
mutual consent of both coaches. If either coach refuses to play, the game must be
rescheduled.
f. It is the responsibility of the home team to contact the assignor regarding any contest
which must be rescheduled.
g. Both teams are responsible for promptly submitting all umpire evaluations using the online evaluation.
C. CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT REGULATIONS
1. Format
a. The tournament will be a six-team, double elimination format with opening round games
at campus sites and the remainder of the tournament contested at the field of choice of the
number one seed.
b. A school must play the NCAA minimum number of games to be eligible for the NJAC
tournament.
c. The seedings will be determined by the order of finish of the top six teams in conference
play, as determined by total number of points earned. Points are earned as follows:
Win = 2 pts.
Tie = 1 pt.
Loss = 0 pts.
In the event there is a tie for any place in the top six, the following tiebreaker procedure
will be used:
First Place Tie
i. Head to head competition
ii. Record vs. teams #2-10 individually, until tie is broken
iii. Least runs allowed against each other
iv. Least runs allowed vs. teams #2-10 individually, until tie is broken
v. Coin toss; if more than 2 teams tied, coin toss: odd team out is awarded first
place; toss again, winner is awarded second place and loser is awarded third
place*
Second Place Tie
i. Head to head competition
ii. Record vs. teams #1, 3-10 individually, until tie is broken
iii. Least runs allowed against each other
iv. Least runs allowed vs. teams #1, 3-10 individually, until tie is broken
v. Coin toss; if more than 2 teams tied, coin toss: odd team out is awarded second
place; toss again, winner is awarded third place and loser is awarded fourth
place*
Third Place Tie
i. Head to head competition
ii. Record vs. teams #1-2, 4-10 individually, until tie is broken
iii. Least runs allowed against each other
iv. Least runs allowed vs. teams #1-2, 4-10 individually, until tie is broken
v. Coin toss; if more than 2 teams tied, coin toss: Odd team out is awarded third
place; toss again, winner is awarded fourth place and loser is awarded fifth
place*
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Fourth Place Tie
i. Head to head competition
ii. Record vs. teams #1-3, 5-10 individually, until tie is broken
iii. Least runs allowed against each other
iv. Least runs allowed vs. teams #1-3, 5-10 individually, until tie is broken
v. Coin toss; if more than 2 teams tied, coin toss: Odd team out is awarded fourth
place; toss again, winner is awarded fifth place and loser is awarded sixth place*
Fifth Place Tie
vi. Head to head competition
vii. Record vs. teams #1-4, 6-10 individually, until tie is broken
viii. Least runs allowed against each other
ix. Least runs allowed vs. teams #1-4, 6-10 individually, until tie is broken
x. Coin toss; if more than 2 teams tied, coin toss: odd team out is awarded fifth
place; remaining two teams play for sixth place on Sunday, with coin toss to
determine the home team.*
Sixth Place Tie
i. Head to head competition
j. Record vs. teams #1-5, 7-10 individually, until tie is broken
k. Least runs allowed against each other
l. Least runs allowed vs. teams #1-5, 7-10 individually, until tie is broken
m. Play-off game, with site determined by coin toss; if more than 2 teams tied,
Play-off games: coin toss to determine first round bye (odd team out gets bye);
remaining teams play on Sunday with site determined by coin toss; Sunday
winner plays the bye team on Monday at the home field of the Sunday winner:
Monday winner is the 6th seed in the conference tournament
* NOTE: See p. 7 of Policies and Procedures Manual for interpretation of 3-way (or
more) tiebreak procedure for all sports.
d.
The tournament will be scheduled as follows:
First round games will be played on Tuesday at campus sites. Wednesday
will serve as a first round rain date. Pairings are as follows with times
determined by host teams:
Game 1: #6 at #1, 4:00 PM
Game 2: #5 at #2, 4:00 PM
Game 3: #4 at #3, 4:00 PM
The Tournament will then shift to a site of the top-seed on Friday:
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11:00 AM
Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 1, 1:00 PM
Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 2, 3:00 PM
If four teams remain after Game 6, the following format will be used:
Saturday
Game 7: Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner Game 5, 10:00 AM
Game 8: Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser Game 6, Noon
Game 9: Loser Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 2:00 PM
Sunday
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 9, 11:00 AM
Game 11: If needed, same teams as Game 10, TBA
If five teams remain after Game 6, the following format will be used:
Saturday
Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 10:00 AM
Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, Noon
Game 9: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7, 2:00 PM
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If two teams remain after Game 9, the following format is used:
Sunday
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, 11:00 AM
Game 11: If needed, same teams as Game 10, TBA
If three teams remain after Game 9, the following format is used:
Sunday
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 9, 11:00 AM
Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 1:00 PM
Please Note: The NJAC Board of Athletic Administrators may implement an alternate
tournament format via majority vote at one of its regularly scheduled meetings during the
academic year.
NOTE: Games shall be played as weather conditions allow. The weather conditions at one
site shall not influence the decision to play at the other site. If one game is completed but not
the other, the tournament schedule will be revised to allow completion of the first round game
at the campus site.
e.
The softball chair, in consultation with the Commissioner, is responsible for revising the
tournament format as needed in the event of inclement weather.
f.
For first round games, the highest seeded team will be the home team, occupy the third
base dugout and take the infield warm-up first. The visiting team shall have choice of
uniform color, with the home team required to wear a contrasting jersey color. In
subsequent games, the home team shall be determined by using the following formula:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The team that has been the home team the fewest times in the
tournament will be designated as home team.
If two teams have been the home team an equal number of
times but visiting team an unequal number of times, the team
that has been the visitor most often will be designated as home
team.
If two teams have been both home team and visiting team an
equal number of times, and if the two teams previously met,
the visitor in the initial game shall be the home team in the
second game.
If two teams have been both home team and visiting team an
equal number of times, the team that was the visitor in its
preceding game shall be the home team, unless both teams
were visitor in their preceding games.
If the preceding formula does not prevail, the home team shall
be determined by a coin toss.
g.
Unless otherwise specified, the conference championship will follow the rules and
guidelines in the NCAA Softball Championship Handbook.
i. A suspended game shall resume at the point of suspension.
ii. The tie-breaker rule is NOT in effect for the tournament.
2.
Officials
a. For all rounds of the tournament, a three-person umpire crew will be used. The
selection is to be based on the NJAC umpire ratings from the previous season (8
games minimum).
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3.
Contest Site, Staff and Equipment
a. An institution is required to possess a field tarp in order to host the weekend portion
of the conference tournament.
b. The host institution for the weekend portion of the tournament will be responsible for
the initial removal of the tarp prior to the first contest each day, regardless of
whether its own team is involved in the contest or has been eliminated from the
tournament.
c. Following the first game removal, the participating teams in any conference
tournament contest will be responsible for both the installation and removal of the
tarp during any time needed following the first game removal.
d. Following the final contest of each day during the conference tournament, the
winning team in the final game will be responsible for installing the tarp on the field
if deemed necessary for weather reasons.
e. Field criteria to host the tournament includes:
i. skinned infield
ii. backstop 25-30’ from home plate
iii. fully enclosed players’ field (sideline/outfield/backstop all joined and secure)
iv. outfield distance of 190’-220’-190’ all around, or a maximum of 235’
v. seating for a minimum of 23 per team
vi. scorer’s table to accommodate both teams’ scorekeepers
The softball chair in consultation with the Commissioner shall certify those schools
meeting these requirements.
4.
Protests
a. Protests will be dealt with immediately as indicated in the NCAA championships
handbook.
b. The protest committee will be comprised of the Commissioner, the softball chair,
and an administrator from the host site. If the softball chair or the host
administrator’s teams are involved in the protest, the Commissioner (if available)
and/or an administrator (AD or SWA) from another conference school who is on site
will replace them on the committee.
5.
Gate Fees/Expenses
a. Gate fees and expense reimbursement shall follow the policy established in Section 1
(B) of this manual.
D. PROTESTS
1. Protests must be submitted in accordance with NCAA rules at the time of occurrence.
2. The softball chair must be notified of the protest within one business day following the
game.
3. The softball chair is responsible for promptly notifying the Commissioner of any protests
filed.
4. The softball chair and the Commissioner will review all protests jointly. If the sport
chair’s institution is involved in the protest, the Commissioner will appoint another
member of the Board of Athletic Administrators whose institution was not involved in
the protest to assist in the decision
5. An appeal of this decision may be made following the procedure outlined in Section 7 of
this manual.
E. AWARDS
1. General Regulations
a. The softball chair shall be responsible for administering the nomination and selection
process for all awards, assisted by the Commissioner as needed. The chair is
responsible for ensuring that the conference awards policy (Section 4 of this manual)
is followed throughout the process.
b. The Commissioner will be responsible for publicizing all awards.
c. Coaches may not vote for their own players
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d.
F.
The entire all-conference selection process will take place via conference call/on-line
meeting.
2.
All-Conference Team
a.
First and second all-conference teams will be selected, consisting of 14 players
each: 2 pitchers, 8 position players, 1 designated player or utility player, and 3 atlarge selections. The at-large selections will be selected one at a time.
b.
Any player receiving at least 2 votes but not named to the first or second team will
be named honorable mention.
c.
A utility player is defined as an individual who has played a maximum of 50% of
the team’s games in one position. This player must be specifically indicated as the
utility player on the nomination form.
d.
A conference staggered nomination system will be used based on a team’s final
finish in conference regular season standings. The specific nomination limits will
be determined by the NJAC Board of Athletic Administrators.
3.
Player of the Year
a.
This award winner must be a member of the all-conference first team.
b.
Individuals selected as first-team at-large are eligible.
c.
This award must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
4.
Rookie of the Year
a.
This nomination must be submitted in advance with the all-conference team
nominations.
b.
Must be a first-year intercollegiate player.
c.
This award winner is not required to be a member of the all-conference team.
d.
This award must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
5.
Pitcher of the Year
a.
This award winner must be a member of the all-conference first team.
b.
Individuals selected as first-team at-large are eligible.
c.
This award must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
6.
Coach of the Year
a. This Award will be known as the “June Walker Coach of the Year Award”
b. Must have a .500 record or better in conference play to be eligible.
c. Any coach who meets this criteria will be automatically placed on the ballot.
d. This award must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
MEETINGS
1. There are two annual coaches meetings: pre-season and post-season.
2.
Both meetings may be conducted via conference call if so desired.
3.
The head coach or an institutional representative must attend/participate.
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Section 13: NJAC Sport Guidelines
Women’s Lacrosse
A. LEAGUE ORGANIZATION
1. Members
Kean University
Montclair State University
Ramapo College
2.
Rowan University
Rutgers University-Camden
The College of New Jersey
Regular Season Scheduling Format
a. Each team plays a single round-robin schedule against every conference team,
home and away in alternating years, for a total of five games in the league
schedule.
b. The Commissioner, in conjunction with the women’s lacrosse sport chair, will
develop a block schedule for league play.
c. A conference game that is unable to be played (i.e., never started) due to
unforeseeable circumstances (e.g., severe weather, failure of officials to
arrive) will be rescheduled on a mutually agreeable date between the two
institutions, but must be completed no later than the day prior to the start of
the NJAC Tournament. The Commissioner and sport chair will ultimately
determine a make-up date in the event that the two effected institutions cannot
reach agreement on a date.
B. CHAMPION DETERMINATION
1. The conference champion will be determined by a single elimination, end-of-season
tournament involving the top four teams in the final regular season standings. The
tournament will take place on the Wednesday and Saturday preceding the NCAA
Tournament selections.
2. The tournament champion will receive the automatic qualifier bid to the NCAA
Tournament.
b. In the event that the tournament is begun but not completed, the highest
remaining seed at the time play is stopped will be named the
conference champion and will receive the NCAA automatic bid.
c. In the event that the tournament never begins, the team which finishes
first in the regular season and receives the top seed in the tournament
will be named the conference champion and will receive the NCAA
automatic bid.
C. GENERAL REGULATIONS
1. Rules Governing Play
a. NCAA rules will be used for all conference games.
b. A minimum 45-minute warm-up period shall be provided prior to the
scheduled game time.
c. Should the visiting team arrive late (i.e., past the scheduled game time), a
15-minute warm-up period will be given.
d. Home teams are responsible for videotaping all conference contests and
uploading the footage using the conference’s designated video exchange
service. Home teams must also tape and upload footage of all conference
tournament contests in the same manner as the regular season conference
games.
e. Any player or coach having received a red card in a game for flagrant
misconduct will be ineligible to coach/play in the next scheduled game
(conference or non-conference).
f. The athletic director of the institution whose player/coach was ejected is
responsible for notifying both the women’s lacrosse chair and the
Commissioner within one business day after the contest (fax, voice mail or
email).
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g.
2.
3.
In the event a contest is begun but play is suspended and unable to be
continued due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., facility emergency, power
failure, etc.), NCAA rules shall apply as follows: a game is considered
legal and complete if 80 percent (48 minutes) of playing time has elapsed. If
a suspended game (one in which less than 80 percent of playing time has
elapsed) is replayed on another day, it must be played from the beginning.
An interrupted game continued on the same day shall be restarted from its
point of interrupted.
Contest Site, Staff and Equipment
a. The NJAC minimum medical care standards must be followed (see Section
2 of this manual).
b. The NJAC minimum standards for sports information must be followed (see
Section 8 of this manual). This includes tables and chairs for scorekeeper
and timer at the 50 yd. line.
c. As per NCAA rules, the field size must range from 110-140 yards in length,
and 60-70 yards in width. It is also recommended that the field be enclosed.
d. Goal nets should meet standard NCAA specifications.
e. A minimum of two college-aged ball retrievers should be provided by the
home team.
f. Access to team benches and sidelines will be restricted to enrolled students
and employees of the institution.
Officials
a. Three officials must be assigned to each conference game.
D. CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT REGULATIONS
1. The four teams with the best record in conference play will advance to the conference
tournament.
2. Seeding for the tournament will be based on the final regular season standings for the
conference, with each game played at the site of the higher seed.
3. In the event that two or more teams have identical conference records, the following
tiebreaker system will be used to determine final berths and seeding for the tournament:
First Place
a. Head to head competition.
b. Team with the best record versus teams ranked below, place-by-place, until
tie is broken (e.g., vs. 2nd place, then vs. 3rd place, etc.)
c. Team with greatest goal differential* in all conference games.
d. Team with the greatest goal differential* versus teams ranked below, placeby-place, until tie is broken.
e. Coin toss; if 3 or more teams tied, coin toss; odd team out is seeded first,
then toss again, with winner seeded second and loser third.
Second Place
Head to head competition.
Team with the best record versus teams ranked below, place-by-place, until tie
is broken (e.g., vs. 1st place, then 3rd place, 4th place, etc.)
c. Team with greatest goal differential* in all conference games.
d. Team with the greatest goal differential* versus teams ranked above, then
below place-by-place, until tie is broken.
e. Coin toss; if 3 or more teams tied, coin toss; odd team out is seeded second,
then toss again, with winner seeded third and loser fourth.
a.
b.
Third Place
a. Head to head competition.
b. Team with the best record versus teams ranked above, then below,
place-by-place, until tie is broken (e.g., vs. 1st place, 2nd, place, then 4th
place, 4th place, etc.)
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c.
d.
e.
Team with greatest goal differential* in all conference games.
Team with the greatest goal differential* versus teams ranked above,
then below place-by-place, until tie is broken.
Coin toss; if 3 or more teams tied, coin toss; odd team out is seeded
third; a play-in game between the two remaining teams will be
conducted on the Monday prior to the start of the tournament to
determine the fourth seed. A coin toss will determine the site of the
play-in game.
Fourth Place
a. Head to head competition.
b. Team with the best record versus teams ranked above, then below, placeby-place, until tie is broken (e.g., vs. 1st place, 2nd place, 3rd, place, then
5th place, etc.)
c. Team with the greatest goal differential* in all conference games.
d. Team with the greatest goal differential* versus teams ranked above, then
below, place-by-place, until tie is broken.
e. Coin toss; if 3 or more teams are tied, a mini-playoff will take place to
determine the fourth seed. A three-way coin toss will determine the
pairings, and the odd team out will be given a bye: the remaining two teams
will play on Monday with the site determined by coin toss; the winner of
the Monday game plays the bye team on Tuesday at site of Monday winner.
The winner of the Tuesday game receives the fourth seed in the tournament.
* NOTE: Goal differential is defined as goals scored minus goals allowed, to a maximum of a 5 goal
differential per game. See p. 7 of Policies and Procedures Manual for interpretation of 3-way (or more)
tiebreak procedure for all sports.
4.
The tournament format will be as follows:
Semifinals
Game A: #4 at #1
Game B: $3 at #2
Championship
Winner Game A vs. Winner Game B (at highest remaining seed)
E. PROTESTS
1. The women’s lacrosse chair must be notified of the protest within one business day
following the game.
2. The women’s lacrosse chair is responsible for notifying the Commissioner of any protests
filed.
3. The women’s lacrosse chair and the Commissioner will review all protests jointly. If the
sport chair’s institution is involved in the protest, the Commissioner will appoint another
member of the Board of Athletic Administrators whose institution was not involved in
the protest to assist in the decision.
4. An appeal of this decision may be made following the procedure outlined in Section 7 of
this Policies and Procedures Manual.
F.
AWARDS
1.
General Regulations
a. The women’s lacrosse chair will administer the nomination and selection
process for all awards, assisted by the Commissioner as needed. The chair is
responsible for ensuring that the conference awards policy (Section 4 of this
manual) is followed throughout the process.
b. The Commissioner is responsible for publicizing all awards, unless other
arrangements have been mutually agreed upon with an individual institution.
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c.
d.
e.
A conference staggered nomination system will be used based on a team’s final
finish in conference regular season standings. The specific nomination limits
will be determined by the NJAC Board of Athletic Administrators.
Coaches may not vote for their own players or themselves.
Both conference-only statistics and overall statistics may be used to support
nominations. Statistics will not be included on the all-conference ballot. Coaches
will be responsible for reviewing both the overall and conference-only statistics
for each nominee on the conference web site prior to voting.
2.
All-Conference Team
a. A 16-member all-conference team will be selected. The team will consist of 3
attack players, 4 midfielders, and 3 defenders, 1 goalkeeper, and 5 at-large
selections.
b. Coaches will vote for the specific number of players at each position as
designated on the ballot. They will then list the top five remaining players
regardless of position on the at-large portion of the ballot.
c. Any nominated player who receives 2 votes but is not selected to the allconference team will be named honorable mention.
3.
Players of the Year
a. An Attack Player of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, Defensive Player of the
Year, and Goalkeeper of the Year will be selected from among those named to
the all-conference team.
b. The Attack Player of the Year must be one of the first-team attackers.
c. The Defensive Player of the Year must be one of the first-team defenders.
d. The Midfielder of the Year must be one of the first-team midfielders.
e. The Goalkeeper of the Year will automatically be in the goalkeeper selected to
the first-team.
f. The Attack Player of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, and Defensive Player of
the Year awards must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
4.
Rookie of the Year
a. A rookie is defined as a first year intercollegiate player.
b. This player is not required to be a member of the all-conference team.
c. This award must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
5.
Coach of the Year
a. Coaches must be .500 or better in conference play to qualify.
b. Any coach who meets this criteria will be automatically placed on the ballot for
consideration.
c. This award must be selected via conference call using open/vocal voting.
G. MEETINGS
1.
There are two annual coaches meetings: pre-season and post-season.
2.
Both meetings may be conducted via conference call if so desired.
3.
The head coach or institutional representative must attend/participate.
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