Quote from: Flying Weasel on November 09, 2016, 03:25:51 PMQuote from: NESCAC_United on November 09, 2016, 02:31:27 PMNew England has the most ranked teams for a reason and there is a reason that the NESCAC always has at least 3 or 4 teams ranked in the region.
And that reason is that the New England region has more eligible men's teams than any other region. The number of teams ranked has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with strength and/or depth of a region; they rank the top 15% of each region's eligible teams. More teams in a region = more teams ranked.
From the 2016 NCAA Division III Soccer Pre-Championships Manual:QuoteThe committee will rank the top 15 percent of eligible teams in each region (or a minimum of four teams, whichever is
greater) by applying the championships selection criteria. Based on 2016 sponsorship reports, the following number of
teams will be ranked in each region:
Central Region – 6
East Region – 8
Great Lakes Region – 8
Mid-Atlantic Region – 9
New England Region – 12
North Region – 6
South Atlantic Region – 8
West Region – 5
So, for the New England region that has 77 eligible teams, 15% of 77 is 11.55 or 12 teams to be ranked. There are more chances for mid-table NESCAC teams to be ranked thanks to the NAC, NECC, GNAC, MASCAC that make up about half of the region's teams but whose teams individually and collectively are typically irrelevant to the whole NCAA tournament and the rankings and at-large berths.
Thanks for the clarification. Regardless, New England is probably considered the best region holistically. I understand that there are travel and regional limitations. It just seems ridiculous that the percentage of New England teams that make it is so much less than the percentage from other regions.