More teams, athletes will win state titles after DIAA tourney changes

Yahoo Sports2h ago21 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Delaware high schools will have more opportunities to win state titles as the DIAA changes its tournament qualification process starting fall 2027. The new guidelines will prioritize recent performance alongside school enrollment for state championship divisions.

Key points

DIAA will change state tournament qualification process
More teams and athletes will compete for state titles
Recent performance will be prioritized alongside enrollment
Changes will take effect in fall 2027
Introduced to Delaware Association of Athletic Directors

Some high schools and their athletes will soon be positioned to win state titles they likely hadn't previously thought possible.

The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association will change the way it decides state-tournament qualifiers and simply have more of them.

School enrollment has always been the sole factor that determined in which division Delaware high school teams compete for state championships, except for recent changes in football. That will no longer be the case beginning in the fall of 2027.

Enrollment will still count, but recent results will matter much more in the proposed state tournament qualification guidelines the DIAA competition committee has devised. They were introduced to the Delaware Association of Athletic Directors during a gathering in the Caesar Rodney High auditorium April 21.

The new format will “change the face of sports in Delaware,” committee chairman Joe Thomson told the gathering.

St. Elizabeth celebrates their championship win over Sanford during the DIAA Girls Basketball final at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark on March 14, 2026.

A team’s success rate over the previous two- and four-year periods will count as 80% and school enrollment just 20% in the new calculations.

The plan is expected to go up for final DIAA board of directors approval in June. After that, schools will learn exactly if they will be in Division I or II for each sport. A school can be in Division I in some sports and Division II in others.

What sports are impacted?

The change affects 11 sports – boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls volleyball, boys and girls lacrosse, field hockey, softball and baseball.

Of those, only three – boys and girls soccer and field hockey – presently crown a pair of divisional state team champs. The others have had just one. Football, which in 2022 instituted a three-division format with recent performance factored in, will continue as is.

It means, for example, that recent Division II state champions who had consistent success, such as Sussex Academy in boys soccer, may now have to topple a traditional Division I powerhouse such as Salesianum. Likewise, longtime Division II field hockey champion Delmar, despite its 2025 dropoff, will find itself competing against recent Division I champions such as Smyrna and Cape Henlopen for that title.

Q&A

What changes are being made to the DIAA state tournament qualifications?

The DIAA will now consider recent athletic performance in addition to school enrollment for state tournament qualifications starting in fall 2027.

When will the new DIAA tournament qualification guidelines take effect?

The new guidelines will be implemented beginning in the fall of 2027.

How will the changes affect Delaware high school sports?

The changes are expected to increase the number of teams and athletes competing for state titles, significantly altering the competitive landscape in Delaware high school sports.

Who introduced the new qualification guidelines for the DIAA?

The new qualification guidelines were introduced by the DIAA competition committee to the Delaware Association of Athletic Directors.