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TexasTerror
May 4th, 2007, 07:58 PM
Smart move to 'fast track' the outdoor track and field programs for the Coyotes of South Dakota. UCA recently announced they were fast tracking baseball and womens' soccer. Any word from North Dakota?

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Men's and women's track teams begin D-I competition in 2009-10 season

The University of South Dakota Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen announced the process of multidivisional classification will begin for the Coyote men's and women's outdoor track and field teams in the 2007-08 school year. This process will allow the two squads to be eligible for NCAA Division I national postseason competition starting in 2009-10.

NCAA legislation permits a member institution to have one male and one female sport, other than football or men's or women's basketball, classified in a division other than the one in which it is a member. This multidivisional classification allowance for reclassifying institutions was affirmed by the NCAA in July 2004. Multidivisional classification is what allows institutions such as Minnesota State University and St. Cloud State University to field NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey programs while the remainder of their programs are classified at the NCAA Division II level. The University of North Dakota, which is on the same reclassification time line to NCAA Division I as USD, will continue to use its multidivisional classification to keep its hockey teams at Division I while bringing the remainder of its varsity programs to that level.

"Multidivisional classification is a terrific opportunity for our athletic department to accelerate the time frame for several of our student-athletes to participate in NCAA Division I postseason competition," said Nielsen. "Ultimately, we chose outdoor track and field for this opportunity not to slight any of our other sports, but because these programs have demonstrated sustained excellence over many years. Outdoor track and field also has the benefit of having large rosters, which provides greater opportunities for more student-athletes to compete in the NCAA Division I national postseason."

http://www.plaintalk.net/stories/05032007/sports_20070503048.shtml