North Dakota athletic director Brian Faison will serve as chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee when it convenes to set the bracket for this season’s NCAA tournament.
Rensselaer athletic director Jim Knowlton had been the committee chair, but he is leaving the school for Air Force and has been removed from the committee roster.
The committee is made up of one member from each of the six Division I conferences. Three members must be administrators.
ECAC Hockey schools are in the process of choosing a replacement for Knowlton on the committee. Nominations were due Feb. 20 to the NCAA’s Administration Cabinet, which makes the pick.
Faison has been North Dakota’s athletic director since 2008 and has chaired the NCHC Board of Directors and the Big Sky Conference Joint Council.
He joined the NCAA hockey committee last season.
As with any member of the committee and his or her school, Faison will have to recuse himself from discussions involving North Dakota’s place in the NCAA tournament.
The committee also includes Minnesota senior associate athletic director Tom McGinnis and coaches Brian Riley of Army, Kevin Sneddon of Vermont and Mel Pearson of Michigan Tech.
