Introduction to Tennis Rules and Regulations. Overview The following presentation will provide you with a brief tutorial on the following: Conference.

Introduction to Tennis Rules and Regulations

OverviewThe following presentation will provide you with a brief tutorial on the following:•Conference Information•Sports Committee Structure•Regular Season Guidelines•Postseason Guidelines•NCAA Compliance

Please make sure that you review your complete sport guidelines to ensure you have a better understanding of conference rules and regulations.•Sport Guidelines - click HERE

History of the NAC• Formed in 1997 - North Atlantic Women’s

Conference to provide competitive opportunities for the female athletes of 7 New England institutions including current member Maine Maritime Academy.

• Fall of 1999 - Men’s programs were added to the conference offering and the name officially became the North Atlantic Conference.

• 2003 - The membership grew to 13 full members and gained recognition as an NCAA Division III voting conference.

• A series of additional shifts in membership occurred between 2006 and 2007, and in 2011 leading the conference to its current composition of 10 full members.

Mission & Core ValuesMission

The NAC provides quality competitive opportunities and educational experiences through scheduling, post season, and co-

curricular activities. The conference adheres to the NCAA philosophy, institution’s missions, and our core values.

Core ValuesExcellence: We provide the highest quality competitive experience possible.

Integrity:  We place emphasis on sportsmanship, mutual respect and ethical conduct.

Equity:  We are committed to providing fair and equitable competition among conference members.

Diversity: We embrace and celebrate our differences and varying perspectives.

Governance & Organizational Structure

Council of PresidentsThe conference Council of Presidents shall consist of the CEO of each institution. The president or a duly authorized representative shall be present at all meetings of the Council of Presidents.

Council of Athletics DirectorsThe conference Council of Athletics Directors shall consist of the Athletics Director of each member institution. The Athletics Director or a duly authorized representative shall be present at all meetings of the Council of Athletics Directors.

Executive BoardThe conference Executive Board shall be comprised of: NAC Commissioner, Chair of the Council of Athletics Directors, Secretary, Treasurer, NAC Associate Commissioner, Championships Chairperson, and Senior Woman Administrator

MembershipFull Members (10): •Castleton University (Castleton, Vt.)•Colby-Sawyer College (New London, N.H.)•Green Mountain College (Poultney, Vt.)•Johnson State College (Johnson, Vt.)•Lyndon State College (Lyndonville, Vt.)•Husson University (Bangor, Maine)•University of Maine at Farmington (Farmington, Maine) •Maine Maritime Academy (Castine, Maine)•New England College (Henniker, N.H.)•Thomas College (Waterville, Maine)

Associate Members (3):•Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (North Adams, Mass.)

Men’s & Women’s Tennis and Men’s Golf •Salem State University (Salem, Mass.)

Men’s Golf•University of Maine-Presque Isle (Beginning 2016)

Men’s Golf, Men’s & Women’s Cross Country and Women’s Volleyball

•North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Men’s Tennis

Tennis MembershipNorth Atlantic Conference Partnership with the North Eastern Athletic Conference

In 2008, the NAC and the NEAC entered into a partnership in several sports to ensure access to NCAA championships. This partnership continues to exist in Men’s and Women’s Tennis.

•Men’s Tennis is hosted by the NAC with all NEAC members sponsoring Men’s Tennis as Associate Members.

•Women’s Tennis is hosted by the NEAC with all NAC members sponsoring Women’s Tennis as Associate Members.

In both sports, the NAC teams comprise the East Division and the NEAC teams, the West Division.

Single Round Robin play is conducted divisionally followed by divisional championships. Once divisional champions have been crowned, a crossover final championship is played to determine the AQ Recipient.

Conference OfficeCommissionerJulie MullerPhone: (802) 368-0050Fax: (802)780-0177Email: [email protected]

Associate Commissioner Shannon O'BrienPhone: (802) 368-0050Fax: (802)780-0177Email: [email protected]

Follow the NAC @NACathletics

Conference mailing address:North Atlantic Conference PO Box 195 Whitingham, Vt. 05361

Sports Committee Structure

Sport CommitteeCoaches Chair (2-year term)•Primary contact between coaches and conference office.• Assists the conference with the notification, preparation, and

conducting of sport committee meetings.• Serves on Tournament Committee.• Assists in the overall evaluation of the sport season, reviews annual

updates to sport guidelines, and consults with the development of sport master scheduling.

• Assumes responsibilities for maintaining current with national trends and issues related to the sport.

Men’s and Women’s Tennis Chair:Barry Schoonmaker, Colby-Sawyer ([email protected])

Sport Committee Cont.Vice Chair (2-year term, then becomes Chair)•Assist the Chair in all of their responsibilities and serve as Sport Chair when chair is unavailable.•Record minutes of meetings when requested.

Men’s Tennis Vice Chair:TBD

Women’s Tennis Vice Chair:TBD

Sport Liaison•Athletic Administrator assigned to assist the sports committee, serving as an ex-officio member.•Participates in all conference calls and meetings and works closely with Coaches Chair.•Represents the views of the sport committee at the AD meetings.

Men’s Tennis Liaison: George Martin, Colby-Sawyer ([email protected])

Women’s Tennis Liaison: Bill Foti, Colby-Sawyer ([email protected])

Coaches Meetings/CallsPreseason•At the beginning of each season coaches will be sent an informational email from the conference office regarding their sport and the upcoming season.

NAC Tournament•A Pre-Tournament conference call will be held for all coaches of teams participating in the NAC Tournament on Monday, October 5, at 6:00 p.m. (women) and Monday, April 25, at 7:00 p.m. (men). The conference office representative and Sport Liaison will share responsibility for the management of this call.

Postseason•Conference coaches will meet via conference call at the conclusion of the respective season. The call will be managed by the Coaches Chair, with assistance from the Sport Liaison and conference office representative. The date and time for the call will be determined by the conference office with assistance from the Coaches Chair.

Regular Season Guidelines

Sportsmanship Policy"Creating an Atmosphere of Respect"

•The NAC is committed to promoting good sportsmanship and developing and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for competition. We believe the opportunity to represent a NAC institution is a privilege, which is accompanied by the responsibility to act with dignity, integrity and respect at all times.

•Individuals associated with a NAC member institution are expected to conduct themselves in such a manner that represents the highest level of honor, and to observe the tenets of good sportsmanship, honesty, fairness, dignity, civility and respect.

Specific Behavioral Objectives for “Creating an Atmosphere of Respect” can be found in your sport guidelines: click HERE.

For more information on NAC Sportsmanship & Code of Ethics: click HERE.

• It is permissible to share scouting information on conference members with other conference members.

• It is impermissible to share information on conference members with non-conference institutions.

Conference Scouting Policy

Cancelations/Rescheduling• Conference members must make conference matches their

first priority at all times.

• All rained out or cancelled matches should be made up if at all possible.

• Decisions to cancel a match will be made by the host athletic director, with direct communication from the visiting head coach and visiting athletic director.

• ALL changes must be communicated to the conference office.

• Once a visiting team has left campus en route to the competition site, every possible attempt will be made to complete the contest to avoid repeat travel.

ProtestsThe NAC follows the ITA rules for Protests.

To view ITA Regulations (pages 228-258), click HERE.

Protests: •Protests concerning unfair line-ups shall be filed using the ITA Protest Form within 48 hours of the completion of the match. If a match is between two schools from the same conference, the protest must be handled by the conference.

If you have difficulty opening the links, please go to http://www.itatennis.com/Coaches/ita_rules.htm for the latest copy of the ITA Rules and Protest forms.

Weekly & Annual AwardsWeekly Awards•Nominations are the responsibility of each institution’s SID and are due Monday at 10:00 a.m. Winners will be selected by the conference staff. •Weekly awards will begin the Monday following the first week of competition in which at least half of the member schools have competed and will conclude the Monday following the NAC Championship. •Both Men’s and Women’s Tennis will be honored with the following weekly awards: Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week.

Annual Awards•All-Conference First and Second Teams will be nominated and voted on by all head coaches. •Coaches will also select the following major awards: Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, and a Sportsmanship Team. 

For more information on Awards, please review your sport guidelines.

Postseason Guidelines

SeedingThe conference office will seed teams following the last NAC competition date using results provided by the institution through the conference website.

The following criteria will be used to seed teams: •Conference winning % - teams must have completed 2/3 of conference games to be eligible. Contests against institutions failing to meet this requirement will not be counted as conference contests for purposes of seeding.

Tiebreaking - Conference Standings In case of a tie, the following tie-break procedures will be followed.

Two-way tie:•Head-to-head result.

In ties among three or more schools, the following criteria will be applied:•Best record among tied teams. During this step, the conference will only examine records of tied teams in contests with each other. •Comparison of results against conference opponents one team at a time starting with the highest ranked team and continuing in downward rank order until the tie is broken. •Comparison of results against non-conference common opponents. During this step, non-conference games with conference opponents will not be considered. •Comparison of winning percentage vs. NCAA Division III opponents with .500+ winning. •Overall winning percentage. •Coin toss.

Tournament Format & ScheduleTop 4 teams qualify for tournament. Held on one day at one locationwith the semifinals in the morning and finals in the afternoon.

Women’s Divisional Tournament: | Men’s Divisional Tournament: Saturday, October 10, 2015 | Saturday, April 30, 2016at Colby-Sawyer | at Castleton

Semifinals: Matches will be played to completion utilizing a 3rd setSuper Tie Break procedure once a decision has been reached.• Pairings: #1 vs. #4 and #2 vs. #3

Finals: Match will be played to decision.Note: If weather requires the move to an indoor facility, all matches will be played to decision.

Men’s and Women’s Crossover Tournaments:Saturday, May 7, 2016 in the Albany, N.Y. area.

Tournament AwardsChampion•Perpetual Trophy, Permanent Plaque, and T-Shirts

Runner up•Permanent Plaque

All-Tournament Team Team will be named at the championship and each honoree will receive a NAC award.•3rd and 4th place teams receive one selection each•2nd place team receives two selections•Champion receives two selections plus an MVP selection

Championship WebcastingThe Divisional Tournaments will be professionally filmed through the Northeast Sports Network (NSN) and be made public on the conference website following the championship.

Coaches and student-athletes may be asked to participate in interviews for the video.

DVD’s will be made available for purchase after each championship.•click HERE

NCAA Compliance

NCAA Rules TestThe Division III Rules Test is required annually for all coaches and athletics administrators with compliance responsibilities. It is intended to be a learning tool offered to the Division III membership.

It is to be taken "open book" in an effort to better familiarize individuals with the legislation contained in the NCAA Division III Manual.

Coaches should speak with Director of Athletics or Compliance officer to familiarized themselves with institutional processes for taking the Rules Test.

For more information about the Rules Test and to take the test:• click HERE

NCAA Rules ReviewAmateurism (Bylaw 12)• May not have take “pay for play” with an outside team.

• Certain “actual and necessary” expense reimbursement is permitted (see Bylaws 12.1.3.1 and 12.1.5.1).

• Important to verify previous local club participation by international student-athletes.

• Fundraising: All funds raised by student-athletes may go into a team “pot” OR be tracked by individual fundraising efforts in limited cases.

• S-A cannot accept or solicit direct contributions from someone other than a parent or guardian.

• Failure to comply with these stipulations and others, could result in a violation of the amateurism rule.

NCAA Rules ReviewRecruitment (Bylaw 13)• NCAA recruitment rules apply to all students in grades 9-12 and college

transfers.• May not have face-to-face contact with a recruit off-campus until they have

completed sophomore year of high school (2015).• Unlike Div. I and II, there are no “blackout dates” in Div. III—may recruit year-

round.• Use of social networking sites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) now permitted, BUT

messages must be PRIVATE.• Unofficial visit is when the prospect pays for the visit; unlimited number of

unofficial visits OK at any time.• Official visit is when the institution pays some or all travel expenses; not

permitted until January 1 of junior year (2015).• May not contact a student enrolled in another 4 year college about transfer

unless S-A has filed a self release (Div. III transfers only) OR permission has been granted by their current institution. Contact your schools Compliance Director for guidance with transfer recruits.

• Try-outs prohibited.

NCAA Rules ReviewEligibility (Bylaw 14)• Student-athletes must carry a full-time load of credits (min. 12), must

be in good academic standing, and make normal progress toward a degree to practice or compete. Good academic standing is determined by the institution.

• Proof of health insurance and sickle cell trait status also required (or waiver of the sickle cell trait test).

• Be sure to confirm eligibility of all players following institutional processes.

• The NAC does not have any additional eligibility requirements and utilizes the NCAA standard.

NCAA Rules ReviewPlaying Seasons (Bylaw 17)• Familiarize yourself with sport specific and general playing season

guidelines.• Tennis is limited to a maximum of 19 weeks.

Count weeks carefully!!• Weeks may be divided into fall and spring periods.• # of Contests and Dates of Competition in Tennis - Minimum (10

contests with 6 participants) and Maximum (20 dates of competition). Exemptions from Maximum Count

– Conference, NCAA Tournament

• Required one day off in each 7 day period.

NCAA Rules ReviewPlaying Seasons (Bylaw 17)• Coach’s involvement in athletically-related activity limited to the 19

weeks (see 17.02.1.1 for list).

• Student-athletes may not compete on an outside team during their playing season (e.g., local club team).

• OK to participate on an outside team in the summer or between the traditional and non-traditional season with other team members—NO COACHES!!

• NOT SURE? Ask your compliance officer!

NCAA Rules ReviewRules Violations

• Institutions will have their own processes for reporting violations of NCAA Rules. Know that process and follow it.

• Must be reported to the conference office.

• Most are secondary, some with prescribed penalties.

• Major violations addressed by NCAA Committee on Infractions.

Additional NCAA QuestionsRules Interpretations• The NAC office provides service to member institutions in the

area of NCAA Rules interpretations. • Coaches should first speak with on-campus Compliance

Coordinator for directions on interpretive process.

NCAA Medical Hardship Waivers• Managed by the NAC office.• Requirements are very specific.• In case of a season-ending injury during the first half of the

season, be sure documentation is gathered regardless of whether or not the student-athlete believes he/she will ever utilize the option.

• This is NOT the equivalent of a Red-Shirt – please do not use that term.