The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association will begin a new competitive format for its regular season and tournament competition that will go into effect with the 2011-12 season, Commissioner David Neilson announced today.

The MIAA will institute home-and-home round-robin formats for regular season competition in team sports, with the exception of football and softball, which will remain with single round-robin schedules. In sports where a postseason tournament is used to determine the automatic qualifier (AQ) for NCAA Division III championship competition, all tournaments will adopt a four-team format, Neilson said.

“The Presidents’ Council of the MIAA has reaffirmed the principle that MIAA conference competition and championships are the primary objective of in-season play.

“They also strongly endorse and support NCAA postseason play, and the aspirations of our student-athletes, coaches and institutions to compete at the highest level and on the national stage.”

The four-team postseason tournaments will be used in the following AQ sports: volleyball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s golf, women’s golf, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis. Currently, tournament formats vary from four-team, six-team and eight-team tournaments in various sports.

“To further increase the significance of MIAA regular-season play, all AQ tournaments will include only the top four teams based upon final regular season standings,” Commissioner Neilson said. “The Presidents’ Council believes this reinforces the concept of earning a playoff position through success in the regular season.”

Founded in 1888, the MIAA is the nation’s oldest collegiate athletic conference. Member institutions are Adrian College, Albion College, Alma College, Calvin College, Hope College, Kalamazoo College, Olivet College, Saint Mary’s College and Trine University.

The following page lays out a summary for MIAA regular season and AQ tournaments in all sports, beginning in the 2011-12 academic year.

NEW MIAA COMPETITIVE AND TOURNAMENT FORMATSEFFECTIVE 2011-12 SEASON

Sport - Regular/MIAA Champion - AQ Determinent

Football
Single round-robin schedule
MIAA Champion

Volleyball
Home-and-home round-robin schedule
Four-team end of season AQ tournament

Men's and Women's Soccer
Home-and-home round-robin schedule
Four-team end of season AQ tournament

Men’s Golf
Round-robin Jamborees
Four-team, 54-hole AQ Tournament in spring

Women’s Golf
Six JamboreesFour team, 54-hole AQ Tournament in spring

Men’s and Women’s Basketball
Home-and-home round-robin schedule
Four-team end of season AQ tournament

Baseball
Home-and-home round-robin
Four-team end of season doubleheader schedule AQ tournament

Softball
Single round-robin doubleheader schedule
Four-team end of season AQ tournament

Men’s and Women’s Tennis
Single round-robin schedule of dual meets
Four-team end of season AQ tournament

Men’s and Women’s Cross Countgry
MIAA Jamboree and Championship
No AQ Cross Country

Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving
MIAA Three-Day Championship Meet
No AQ Swimming and Diving

Men’s and Women’s Track & Field
MIAA Jamboree and Field Day No AQ