2004-2005 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Tournament

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS The NAIA- Providing Balanced Athletics Programs for 47,000 Student-Athletes THE RIGHT GAME FOR LIFE. ™ hroughout its history, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA} has provided strong leadership for T all aspects of intercollegiate sports. Since its introduction of intercollegiate championship basketball in 1937, the NAIA has maintained the highest standards while administering first-rate athletics programs. Time and time again, the NAIA has stepped forward to address the important issues of the day - be it racial integration in the '40s and '50s or establishing the first women's championship program in 1980. The NAIA has not been afraid to enact changes while others have watched and waited. In the past decade, presidents of the NAIA colleges and universities have assumed a position of responsible leadership. The NAIA's Council of Presidents, the organization's primary governing body, is comprised of 35 college and university presidents from all regions of the United States. With its major emphasis on education and character development, it was natural for the NAIA to further strengthen academic eligibility requirements in th.e mid-'80s. All NAIA participating student-athletes must maintain a 2.0 grade-point- average (GPA) while accumulating credit hours for a declared academic degree. Unlike other associations, NAIA student-athlete academic eligibility is monitored on a term-by-term basis. The All-America Scholar-Athlete program, a long-standing NAIA tradition, recognizes junior and senior student- athletes with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale). During the '90s, the waves of change once again washed over the NAIA.The membership voted to institute affiliated conference and regional groupings and discontinue the use of district play as a means of qualification for national championships, marking the first time since the NAIA's creation that district competition would not be used. Since 1937, the NAIA has administered programs and championships in proper balance with the overall educational experience. In 2000, the NAIA reaffirmed its purpose to enhance the character-building aspects of sport. Through Champions of Character, the NAIA seeks to create an environment in which every student-athlete, coach, official and spectator is committed to the true spirit of competition through five tenets: respect, integrity, responsibility, servant leadership and sportsmanship. This program will educate and create awareness of the positive character-building traits afforded by sports and return integrity to competition at the collegiate and youth levels while impacting all of society. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS 23500 W. 105th Street P.O. Box 1325 Olathe, KS 66051-1325 (913) 791-0044 www.naia.org TM OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE STUDENT-ATHLETE • 47,000 participating student-athletes • Hundreds of NAIA students recognired annually as All-America Scholar-Athletes, thousands more honored on the conference level • Championship opportunities at the conference, sectional, regional, and national levels • 23 championships encompassing 13 sports: MEN WOMEN Baseball Basketball (Div. I & II) Basketball (Div. I & II) Cross Country Cross Country Golf Football Indoor Track & Field Golf Outdoor Track & Field Indoor Track & Field Soccer Outdoor Track & Field Softball Soccer Swimming and D iving Swimming and Diving Tennis Tennis Volleyball Wrestling