2026 Kickoff Weekend Draft

Draft Policies and Procedures

Participating Teams (56)

1. The top 3 teams per region (39 teams) according to the final ITA Division I National Team Rankings (if ranked in Top 75). This includes host sites and teams that have declined participation.

2. Remaining 17 teams in order based on the final ITA Division I National Team Rankings 

3. Participation is not mandatory.

4. Teams participating in Kickoff Weekend need initial approval from their school administration.

5. Teams participating in Kickoff Weekend should also have initial approval from their administration to participate at National Team Indoors should they qualify.

6. Information and entry forms will be emailed to teams ranked in the Top 90 according to the early May ITA rankings. The entry form must be submitted by 5:00 PM ET on Thursday, May 29th. The form requests 5 phone numbers for the school’s coaching staff and administration that will be used to make contact with each institution during the draft. Completing a draft entry form is not a commitment to play or participate in the draft, as teams may pass on draft day.

7. ITA National Team Indoor Championship host schools receive automatic invitations to the final 16. (Women: Northwestern University & University of Illinois; Men: Southern Methodist University & Baylor University)

Procedures

1. 14 host teams are displayed on the ITA website. Host site information, including each site’s schedule of play and whether it is an indoor or outdoor site, is displayed.  The webpage is updated each time a school selects a site. Teams are expected to follow the draft’s progress on the website before their call time.

2. The ITA calls each team, in rank order, at predetermined times. The order and call times will be emailed by Monday, June 9th. Coaches have a maximum of 10 minutes to select which site to play at.  If the ITA cannot reach anyone at the 5 phone numbers (or total number of those) provided, the team will be removed from the draft. 

3. The highest-ranked team, according to the final ITA rankings, not selected as a host, chooses which of the 14 sites they want to go to. When called, they will choose where they want to play, then the next highest team is called and chooses, and so on. 

4. A team is allowed to choose whichever site it would like until a site is filled with four teams.

5. The draft is complete when all 56 places in the table are occupied.

6. Seedings at each site will be determined according to ITA rankings at the time of the draft. For example, if No. 1 Georgia is a host and the three teams that choose to go there are No. 20 NC State, No. 25 Arizona State, and No. 41 Wisconsin, the first-round match-ups would be: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 2 NC State vs. No. 3 Arizona State.

7. A team can decide not to participate during the draft. For example, a coach can elect not to participate based on the sites/matches available at his/her team's time in the draft.

8. A list of alternate teams will be notified that while they are not in the original 56 selected for the draft, calls could be made to them if teams elect to “pass” during their draft turn. A rankings list to No. 90 will be used (in rank order) for this. If it is necessary to go beyond No. 90, invitations will be sent based on the geography of the remaining sites and selected by committee.

9. Teams are responsible for all travel costs to the 14 opening round sites.

10. All participating teams (including host sites) must pay a $200 entry fee to the ITA.

11. If a team participates in the draft and then later elects to withdraw from the event, it may receive two unranked losses in the ITA Rankings for the duration of the season as a penalty (subject to ITA National Tournament Committee review). An alternate will be selected in order of final national ranking (using the same method as in No. 8). If this team is a host site, the invitations to host will be extended to the next highest seed at that site. The seeding matchups will also be changed at that site.

Host Site Selections

1. Top 14 teams according to the final ITA rankings.

2. Hosting is not mandatory. If a team declines the opportunity to host, it may still participate in the draft, and the next highest ranked team will be invited to host.

Host Site Requirements

1. Host sites will be required to distinguish themselves as indoor or outdoor sites prior to the draft, i.e. matches at a site that submits itself as an indoor site prior to the draft will be played indoors regardless of the weather during that event. An outdoor site may play indoors in the case of inclement weather per ITA Rule I.J (pages 15-17 of the 2024-25 ITA Rulebook).

2. Host sites will turn in a proposed schedule of play and practice court schedule by Monday, May 19th, for Operating Committee review. Once the schedule has been approved, the dates of play may not be changed. The times may only be changed if agreed upon by the ITA office, all four participating coaches, and the head referee.

3. Host site agrees to chair every match in all four team dual matches using ITA-certified officials, as well as provide an ITA-certified referee (who will not also serve as a chair umpire).

4. Host site is responsible for all costs associated with hosting the four matches (trainers, officials, promotions, etc.). 

5. Sites that do not have indoor backup are required to have access to 12 outdoor courts in the event of inclement weather.

6. Host site is required to designate a hotel(s) within 15 miles of site where matches are played.

7. For dual gender sites that require play to start on Friday, January 23rd, the men will play first in 2026.

8. Practice courts will be made available at the event site for all participating teams the day prior to the event. Each team will receive a minimum of three courts for 90 minutes per team. At dual gender sites, the host site can request permission for warm-up courts for all teams playing on day two to be at an alternate site with a similar surface.