NAQT has made an exception to its Division II eligibility policies in light of a situation that occurred at the 2003 Intercollegiate Championship Tournament. At that event, one spot in the Division II field was left unfilled; as per its invitation policy, NAQT invited teams in order from the wait list but each, in turn, had to decline due to its inability to raise the necessary funds on short notice. According to NAQT's policy, all of those teams that received invitations off of the waitlist lost their Division II eligibility.

This was an anomalous situation and does not represent the way in which NAQT wants the system to operate. In light of that, NAQT is restoring Division II eligibility to players on teams that received, and declined, invitations later than 28 days before the tournament. This affects Kansas and every team that was invited, and declined, after them. Players on teams that received invitations on or before March 7, 2003, remain Division II ineligible, regardless of whether they attended the ICT or not, as do all teams that attended the ICT, regardless of the date of their invitation.

Please note that this does not represent a general change in policy that can be assumed to apply to the current year; there is no guarantee (or even a probability) that teams that receive and decline invitations to the 2004 ICT with fewer than 28 days to go will retain their Division II eligibility for 2005. NAQT believes that teams from four-year colleges should have a single opportunity to play in the Division II ICT and that they must take advantage of that opportunity the first time that they qualify for it.

If you have any questions about this update, please do not hesitate to contact NAQT at naqt@naqt.com.