SEEDING TEAM TOURNAMENTS (Revised 10/8/09)

GUIDELINES:

   1.  Sport chairmen shall consult with league representatives in order to provide the Seeding Committee with information which may be helpful for seeding team tournaments.  Coaches' representatives may make known to sport chairmen (prior to the seeding meeting) which teams are considered by the coaches to be the strongest teams in the tournament.  The Seeding Committee will gratefully accept the input of coaches, but prefers that information be transmitted through the chairman of the sport.  Under no circumstances, however, should a coach whose team is involved in the tournament appear at the site of the seeding meeting.

   2.  A.  All qualifiers for Section XI team sport tournaments must have a .500 won/lost league record with the exception of teams grouped by ability in a league/division.

        B.  Regional/State Tournaments - All qualifiers for Regional and/or NYSPHSAA Championship tournaments in team sports must have a .500 won/lost league record with the exception of teams grouped by ability in a league/division.  Schools may appeal to the seeding committee.
             The Seeding Committee SHALL consider a team from a mixed classification league/division when said team has not qualified for the Regional and/or NYSPHSAA Championship tournament provided documentation indicates said team has demonstrated specific success within the sport.   (approved 5/24/05)

   3.  The Committee will give priority to seeding league champions and co-champions, unless documentation demonstrates otherwise.

   4.  Other teams will be placed in the opposite half of the draw from the first place teams in their league if possible.

   5.  In case of a tie, the Committee must determine the stronger of the two teams, using the criteria listed below.

   6.  The criteria to be used to make a determination (not necessarily in this order) are: league record, overall record, head-to-head competition, competition against other teams having qualified, common opponents, enrollment disparity within the league/division, recommendation of coaches, and any other devises (such as power ratings) which may indicate team strength.

   7.  Any at-large team necessary for tournament play will be chosen based on the same criteria.

   8.  Ability grouped sports must present criteria (if different from above) for approval by the Athletic Council.

   9.  The Seeding Committee SHALL consider a team from a mixed classification league/division when said team has not qualified for the Section tournament provided detailed written documentation indicates said team is one of the strongest in its classification.

Athletic Directors of teams in mixed classification leagues/divisions should inform coaches of this procedure and should also advise their coaches to schedule non-league contests with other strong teams within their respective classifications to enhance their season records.  (Reaffirmed 5/22/03)

   10.  The Seeding Committee should seed AA, A, B, C, and D classifications in that order.

   11.  The decisions of the Seeding Committee shall be final with no right of appeal. (Approved 10/8/09)