NCHSAA concludes winter meetings; changes coming for 2023-24
Dec. 10—CHAPEL HILL — Earlier this month, the N.C. High School Athletic Association Board of Directors conducted their annual winter meetings, addressing potential conference realignments, classification changes, rule adjustments in various sports and media protocol.
Fall, winter, and spring sports will be impacted by various changes beginning in the 2023-2024 academic year.
An overarching approval was the 2023-24 sports calendar for all athletics sponsored by the NCHSAA. In addition, both the 2023 and 2024 football calendars have been approved for 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A programs in North Carolina.
Both men's and women's golf will now have a stroke limit, with the score of a triple bogey as the maximum score on a hole during both regular season and postseason competition. Previously, a triple bogey was the maximum score allowed per hole only during the regular season, but it will now apply to regional and State Championship play.
Golf was a popular topic in Chapel Hill as the board also made an "adjustment of the policy on State Championship Qualifiers from Regionals to State Championship play in Men's and Women's Golf." The exact changes and specifications are not yet clear, but different guidelines can be expected for play beginning in fall of 2023.
On the hardwood, a proposal to adopt and implement a 35-second shot clock was addressed in an effort to increase game action and prevent stagnant contests. The motion was denied for all classifications in the public-school sector for both men's and women's competition.
Playoff expansion was approved in Dual Team Tennis Playoffs at the 2A, 3A and 4A level. The postseason bracket will expand to 48 teams at the 2A classification and will grow to 64 at both the 3A and 4A level.
Also approved was the implementation of a time limit for JV baseball throughout the state. Similar to the AAU and travel rules, a two-hour time limit will be adopted and no inning can start after the game crosses the 120-minute mark.
In addition to players and coaches within the NCHSAA, media members will also be impacted by the events and topics addressed during the meetings. Now mandated are "background checks [that are] provided by media outlets requesting credentials for staff persons or requiring a fee for the NCHSAA to conduct the check prior to the issuance of media credentials."
In total, six different topics and agendas were addressed by the Sports Committee to bring changes to the athletic landscape across the state.
Rules and regulations for winter sports that are currently taking place and for athletics in the spring will remain the same and not be implemented until the following school year.
The NCHSAA Board of Directors will meet again in the spring to make any necessary changes and adjustments to policies, rules, and classifications.
