Regional Championships selection criteria & Manual

2025 DATES OF PLAY

All 2025 ITA Division I Regional Championships must begin no earlier than Wednesday, October 8th, 2025 and must be completed no later than Tuesday, October 21, 2025.

QUALIFIERS TO 2025 NCAA SINGLES AND DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS

The two singles finalists and the doubles champion from each of the 13 ITA regions will qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships.

SELECTION CRITERIA

SINGLES

Main Draw Singles (64 players) 

• • 47 At-Large

    • • 1st Priority: Automatic Qualifiers (1 player per school guaranteed in main draw)

        1. • • Highest-ranked player submitted by coach based on preseason rankings, followed by regional rankings. If a team has no ranked players, then their main draw AQ is at the coach's discretion.

      • 2nd Priority: Preseason National Rankings (top 125 only)

      • 3rd Priority: Returning Players from the prior season’s Regional Ranking (top 20 only) 

      • 4th Priority: According to WTN

    • 16 Qualifiers

    • 1 Host Site Wild Card

Qualifying Draw Singles (64 players)

• • • • 1st Priority: Automatic Qualifiers (Second singles player per school, if not already met)

      • Second Priority: Preseason National Rankings (top 125 only)

      • Third Priority: Returning Players from the prior season’s Regional Ranking (top 20 only)

      • Fourth Priority: According to WTN

    • 1 Host Site Wild Card

Doubles

Main Draw Doubles (64 teams)

• • • • 1st Priority: Automatic Qualifiers (1 team per school)

        1. • Highest-ranked team submitted by coach based on preseason rankings, followed by regional rankings. If a team has no ranked players, then their main draw AQ is at the coach's discretion. Teams must be intact.

      • 2nd Priority: Preseason National Rankings (top 90 only)

      • 3rd Priority: Returning intact teams from the prior season’s Regional Ranking (top 10 only) 

      • 4th Priority: According to combined doubles WTN

    • 1 Host Site Wild Card

HOST SITE SELECTION

The ITA office will administer a host site application process in December and January of the prior academic year.  The host site application will be distributed to all ITA Division I member programs.  Once the host application deadline has passed, all applications will be reviewed by the ITA office for final selection.  The ITA office may consult with ITA region chairs regarding the various applications that were received within a specific region.  Once final selections have been made, the ITA office will notify all applicants and publish/distribute the selections and corresponding dates of each regional championship for the following year.  The following guidelines shall be used by the ITA office when making their decision: 

1. Ability to comply with ITA Division I Regional Championships host site policies and procedures (contained within this document) 

2. Quality of the facilities - number of courts, the configuration of the courts, court conditions, etc. 

3. Institutional support - does the institution provide or allow for support staff necessary to run a successful event?

4. Geographic location within the region

5. Has the applicant run a regional tournament before, and if yes, was the event successfully run?

6. Lodging - are the hotels suitable in terms of availability, accommodations, distance from the facility, and overall cost?

PRE-EVENT MANAGEMENT

It is the responsibility of the tournament host to work together with ITA staff, the region chair, the regional committee, and the head referee to make sure each Regional Championship is administered as successfully as possible.  It is the joint responsibility of the tournament host, region chair, and head referee to ensure all ITA tournament guidelines and rules are followed.  Any event that has not followed ITA tournament rules and guidelines will be fined $500.00 and will be unable to host an ITA Regional Championship event in future years.

Event Sanction and Results Entry

All ITA Division I Regional Championships receive an automatic sanction from the ITA. The ITA will sanction the tournament through the host institution's ClubSpark platform so tournament hosts may create draws and enter results (ITA staff will not enter tournament results on behalf of the tournament host). Hosts are required to utilize the ClubSpark platform as the main tournament page leading up to and during the event and must enter results live during the event.

Tournament Director

Identify a tournament director (not the coach of the host institution) to send tournament communication, enter results, schedule matches in coordination with the head referee, and oversee other tournament operations and staff. ITA staff must be copied on all tournament communication leading up to and during the event.

Head Referee & Officials 

Identify a head referee (ITA certified). All main draw semi-finals and finals matches must be chaired (singles and doubles).  For all other matches, there must be 1 ITA-certified official per 4 courts.

An officials' meeting must be scheduled to review procedures, scoring systems, appeals, etc. 

The head referee must also attend the coaches' meeting (held prior to the start of the event) and participate in the making of the draw. Please make sure the head referee and all officials are familiar with the official 2025-26 ITA Rule Book. 

Tournament Committee

The tournament committee will consist of the tournament director, the head referee, and the five members of the ITA regional committee. ITA Regional Committees are confirmed by the ITA office before each academic season and can be found on the ITA website (men | women).  Regional championships shall be administered according to the guidelines contained in this manual.  When issues that are not addressed within this manual arise, the tournament committee, in consultation with the ITA office, is responsible for resolving those issues. The Tournament Director is NOT permitted to make any such decisions without first consulting with the Committee and the ITA office.  

Event Sponsorship

The ITA does not have a title sponsor for the 2025 ITA Regional Championships. If you choose to seek additional sponsorship for the event, you must receive written approval from the ITA in advance. Alcoholic beverage and tobacco companies are not permitted to sponsor ITA events. The sponsor may not be listed in the title of the event and should not conflict with the current ITA sponsors such as Dunlop or Anthony Travel.

Event Insurance

The ITA office must receive a copy of the certificate of insurance naming the ITA as an additional insured by September 1, 2025. Please email the certificate to Liz Bothwell (DI Women) or Cody Johnson (DI Men). It is the responsibility of each Tournament Host to make certain that this event has the proper liability coverage as agreed upon in the signed “Letter of Agreement,” naming the ITA as additionally insured. Wherever possible, the insurance should be included on the host site university (facility) insurance policy. If such insurance coverage is not available through the host university/facility, it is the responsibility of the tournament director to purchase general liability insurance coverage in an amount of no less than $1,000,000.00 from a provider of their choosing. K&K Insurance through Nationwide can accomplish this need. Please remember when you are acquiring insurance through an outside provider that the ITA must be named as an additional insured. 

Host Site Fee

The host site fee for 2025 has been reduced from $1,500 to $1,300. Payment is due by November 15th, 2025, and will be completed through an online payment form.  A late charge of $100 will be assessed to those host sites that do not complete payment by the due date.  Invoices can be requested by emailing Liz Bothwell (DI Women) or Cody Johnson (DI Men). The ITA recommends that a requisition be submitted to your accounting department, if necessary, to meet the deadline.  The ITA no longer collects player admin fees from hosts, and any profit (after all tournament expenses have been paid) may be kept for the Tournament Host's tennis program. 

Out of Region Requests

Teams are no longer allowed to petition to play in a different Regional Championship other than their assigned region, regardless of reason.  Click here for a full listing of each region's teams.

Pre-Tournament Planning Call 

The tournament director, head referee, host institution's head coach, and tournament committee, must attend a pre-tournament planning call with the ITA office to review tournament logistics including the selection and seeding process, scheduling, use of the tournament management system, and tournament committee duties during the event. 

Inclement Weather Plan/Plan for Indoor Courts

As the host institution, you must make your best effort to arrange for the use of a nearby indoor facility on short notice in case of inclement weather. Directions should be printed and on hand on-site and posted on the tournament website. Directions should also be included with your participant manual. 

Marketing, Media, and Publicity

The host institution must meet with its sports information department to discuss a marketing plan for the tournament. Standard coverage should include an event preview and daily write-ups on your school's athletic website as well as daily postings on social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) using the event hashtag #ITARegionals. Please make sure that "ITA" is always part of the event title in all media coverage. The ITA will email the official event logo to all tournament directors and host institution SIDs. This logo should only be used in its original form, and any changes must first be approved by the ITA.

Advanced Emails

The tournament director must send at least two emails to all coaches (both ITA members and non-members) within their region. Please inform all coaches that they must be ITA members to participate in the event. Please copy the ITA office on both of these emails:

The first email should be an invite email to all coaches in your region. The email should also include tournament dates, location, entry fees, host hotel information, and entry deadline information. This invite email must be sent no later than a month prior to the start of the tournament.

The second email should emphasize all deadlines and include information on the selection criteria, tournament committee, regional committee, draw sizes, and timelines. All of this information is included in this manual. 

A third email should be sent to all coaches who have entered players. This email should include information about the mandatory Coaches' Meeting (date/time/location). It should also cover ITA membership, selections and seeding, publishing of the draw, practice court information, and important contact information/phone numbers. 

Minimum Participants per School

2 singles players & 1 doubles team per school with a minimum of 1 singles player and 1 doubles team guaranteed entry in the main draw.

Mandatory Coaches Meeting

The tournament director must schedule and inform (in writing) all participating schools about the tournament Coaches Meeting. This mandatory meeting will be led by the ITA Regional Chair with help from the Tournament Director and the regional member of the ITA Operating Committee and will take place prior to the start of each Regional Championship.

During this meeting, the tournament format, scoring, appeals procedures, etc. will be reviewed, and tournament and ITA information will be distributed. A meeting agenda will be emailed to you from the ITA prior to your tournament.

All coaches are required to attend this meeting. It is the tournament director's responsibility to take attendance at this meeting. A representative of each participating institution must be present, and the Head Referee must be in attendance as well.

DRAWS AND SCHEDULE OF PLAY

• Total number of days to complete qualifying and main draw may not exceed 6 days.  A Thursday-Tuesday or a Wednesday-Monday schedule is recommended.  Schedules that exceed 6 days or start on a day other than Wednesday or Thursday must be approved by the ITA office.  Schedules may be condensed to five days of play as long as no more than 2 rounds of singles and doubles are scheduled on a given day and no player is asked to play more than 3 total matches in a given day (singles and doubles combined and regardless of doubles scoring format being played). 

• Host facilities must have access to a minimum of 8 outdoor match courts and 6 indoor backup courts for each day of the event.  

• Standard 8 Court Schedule (larger facilities have flexibility to condense or alter schedule)

  • Thursday - 64 matches

    • QSR64 (32 matches)

    • QSR32 & QCSR32 (32 matches)

  • Friday - 64 matches

    • SR64 (32 matches)

    • DR64 (32 matches)

  • Saturday - 56 matches

    • SR32 & CSR32 (32 matches)

    • SR16 (8 matches)

    • DR32 (16 matches)

  • Sunday - 16 matches

    • SQF (4 matches)

    • DR16 (8 matches)

    • DQF (4 matches)

  • Monday - 4 matches

    • SSF (2 matches)

    • DSF (2 matches)

  • Tuesday - 3 matches

    • SF

    • S3/4

    • DF

Draw Sizes

Singles Qualifying- 64 draw with 16 players advancing to the main draw
Singles Main- 64 draw
Doubles Main- 64 teams

All singles draws must guarantee two matches while doubles must guarantee one match. It is recommended, whenever possible, that consolation draws are played to completion.

Schedule of Play

The total number of days to complete the qualifying and main draws may not exceed six days. A Thursday-Tuesday or Wednesday-Monday schedule is recommended. Schedules that exceed six days or start on a day other than Wednesday or Thursday must be approved by ITA staff.
Schedules may be condensed to five days of play as long as no more than two rounds of singles and doubles are scheduled on a given day and no player is asked to play more than three total matches in a given day (singles and doubles combined and regardless of doubles scoring format).

Format and Scoring

• Singles
  All singles draws will be best of 3 full sets with No-Ad scoring. Consolation matches may be reduced to 2 sets with a match tiebreak in lieu of a full third set in order to expedite play. In the case of inclement weather, the scoring format for all draws may be reduced by the tournament committee, although this should be a last resort. Singles main draw should not be shortened to anything less than two sets with a match tiebreak and singles consolation should be shortened to no less than an 8 game proset with a tiebreak at 7 games all. 

• Doubles
  Doubles will be 8 game pro sets with a tiebreak at 7 games all until the semifinals. Beginning in the semifinal rounds, two sets with a match tiebreak will be played.

Draw Making

The head referee, the tournament director, and ITA region chair (remotely, if necessary), must all participate in the making of the draw. The draw must be made in accordance with ITA and USTA procedures. When a collegiate draw involves players or doubles teams from the same school, such entries shall be separated as far out as possible, and placed in separate halves, quarters, or eighths as evenly as possible, depending on the number of entries from that school. The same procedure shall be used when a school has multiple seeds. The top two seeded players from a school shall be in separate halves, a third-seeded player in the same half with the second-seeded player, and so on. In cases where the top two players from the same team are not seeded, they must be placed in opposite halves of the draw, wherever possible. (Revised 12/2013)

Draws must be published two days prior to the start of the tournament and should not be published without prior approval from the ITA.

Seeding

25% of each draw (for a 64 draw, this will be 16 players/doubles teams) shall be seeded. Each draw will be seeded first by Preseason National Rankings, and once PNR has been exhausted, the remainder of each draw shall be seeded by player WTN as of the date specified above, in "Entry and Selection Deadlines".

Seeds will be 1-8 in order, followed by 9-16 grouped.

Lucky Loser Policy

Lucky losers will be determined by a random draw among players who lost in the final round of qualifying.

Doubles Substitution Policy

If a coach wishes to change half of a doubles team, that new doubles team will be judged based on their own ranking (national or regional) and their own combined doubles WTN. If the originally submitted team was occupying an AQ spot based on coach priority, the coach may determine whether or not to keep them with that priority. If they are occupying an at-large spot, they shall be reassessed based on the new team's ranking or combined WTN. New teams are not eligible to move up the selection order, but may be moved down if they have a lower ranking/combined WTN than the originally submitted team, including potentially moving out of the draw and onto the alternate list.

Draw Review

Prior to publishing the draw, the ITA office must review the draw. Please email Liz (Women) or Cody (Men) when your draw is complete and before publishing so it can be reviewed prior to being published. Once the draw is published, it may not be deleted or changed for any reason.

EVENT MANAGEMENT

ITA Waiver

All participants must submit an ITA Waiver before they are permitted to practice or compete in the regional championships. The ITA will provide a digital waiver posted in the coaches' resources and share the response sheet with each tournament director. Please send the link to each of your participating teams and ensure you've received a waiver from each player prior to competition beginning.

Entry Fees

The entry fees for all regional championships in 2025 will be $75 for singles and $70 per doubles team. Include this entry fee information in both of your invite emails.

Tennis Balls

The Official Tennis Ball of the ITA is Dunlop. Dunlop is required during the ITA Regional Championship. The ITA will provide each regional event with 6 cases of Dunlop tennis balls. Should supply chain issues require the use of a different brand or type (regular duty, etc.) of tennis ball, that ball must be USTA/ITF approved and ample notice should be provided to the visiting institutions (minimum of 2 weeks). Additionally, any changes to the brand of tennis ball should be reviewed with your Tournament Committee. If your event requires additional tennis balls, you may contact your local Dunlop representative to order additional DUNLOP EXTRA DUTY tennis balls but supply shortages may not allow last-minute orders. 

Note that the 6 cases of balls shipped are not intended to cover the entire tournament and additional tennis balls are a tournament expense.

 If you have not received the ITA allotted tennis ball order by two weeks prior to your event, please contact Liz Bothwell (DI Women) or Cody Johnson (DI Men). The ball change is 1 can per set and 4 balls per pro set. A match tiebreak (in lieu of a 3rd set) is not considered a new set and should therefore not receive a new can of balls.

Live-Scoring & Live Streaming

Please make every effort to provide live scoring coverage throughout the event, where possible. It is strongly encouraged to provide live scoring, at a minimum, from the main draw quarterfinals on.  

As agreed upon the signed "Letter of Agreement", all broadcast arrangements for the event remain the exclusive right of the ITA. Should the host site choose, at its own expense, to broadcast any part of the event, the host site should notify the ITA in order to secure permission. 

Signage & Photographs

The ITA will send event signage to each host site to hang on the courts and around the facility. After the event, please take the signage down and store in a safe place to use the following year. If the host site changes from year to year, the tournament director will be asked to ship the signage to the next host site.

When posting on social media, please use the event hashtag #ITARegionals. When possible, the ITA banner should be used as the backdrop for the winners' photos.

ITA Participant Gifts & Awards

The ITA will provide event participant gifts for qualifying and main draw participants. The shipment will come directly from the manufacturer and the size allocation will be predetermined (gift dependent); no special orders are possible. The ITA may be able to provide similar print-on-demand options for teams looking for different sizes or additional gifts, to be purchased at the expense of the team.

The ITA will provide awards for singles and doubles champions and finalists. The ITA covers the cost of these awards and no additional awards may be ordered without the written consent of the ITA. 

If you have not received your participant gift or award within two weeks of the start of your event, please contact Liz Bothwell (DI women) or Cody Johnson (DI men).

FACILITIES

Minimum Number of Courts

Host facilities must have a minimum of 8 outdoor match courts and 6 indoor backup courts for each day of the event. The tournament director is responsible for making sure the facilities used for the ITA Regional Championships are exclusively available for practice and competitive sessions throughout the event.

Practice Courts

The tournament director must provide information about practice court availability along with an email to reserve practice courts (unless allocated on a "first-come, first serve" basis). Practice courts must be made available at least one hour before the start of each day's matches. All practice courts are to be provided at no charge. Please be diligent in your planning and organizing for practice courts for each day of the tournament as this is often the most frequently asked question surrounding an event. 

Maintenance and Equipment

The host site must provide the following maintenance: Proper cleaning and drying, windscreens, squeegees, and a daily check of nets and center straps.

The host site must provide the following equipment: Water, singles sticks, spare nets, racquet stringing, Dunlop tennis balls (match and practice), and functional electronic scoreboards or scoreboards and name cards (identifying each championship match with the player's name and school) when electronic scoreboard are not available.

Tournament Desk

A separate tournament desk area must be established with seating and space for officials, ball storage, posted draws with up-to-date results, and to house tournament operations. Coaches should be provided with the tournament desk contact information at the coaches' meeting.

Inclement Weather and Extreme Heat

Please familiarize yourself with ITA Rule I.J. Inclement Weather & Extreme Heat.

Plan for Medical Assistance

Each practice or competitive session of the event must have a qualified person on-site or easily accessible to provide emergency care, such as a certified athletic trainer. A team physician or another trained medical assistant must also be readily available either in person or by phone. 

POST-TOURNAMENT

Tournament Wrap-Up

At the conclusion of the ITA Regional Championships, it is the responsibility of the tournament director to complete the below items. Failure to do so will result in losing the opportunity to continue hosting an ITA Regional Championship, as well as financial penalties being imposed.

• Complete and submit the budget report form

• Complete the host site fee payment by November 15, 2025. Entries not completed by this date will incur a $100 late fee.