The NCAA Transfer Portal has become a vital resource for both athletes seeking new opportunities and programs seeking to fill specific roster needs. However, in its current form, the portal lacks critical data points—such as athlete position, key performance statistics, and other pertinent metrics—that would dramatically improve its usability and efficiency. With the increased volume…
To allow institutions to reduce or cancel scholarships after or within the academic year to match student athletes abilities to get into the transfer portal and their windows.
Current Legislative Text: 12.6.3.2.1.4 Track and Field and Cross Country. A student-athlete who has participated in organized competition after the one-year time period (the next opportunity to enroll after one calendar year has elapsed) and before full-time collegiate enrollment during a cross country, indoor track and field, or outdoor track and field season (as opposed…
Mandate that the top-eight finishers in every event at the NCAA national championships be drug tested for performance enhancing drugs by USADA/WADA. (Co-proposed by Pat Henry (Texas A&M) and Jerry Schumacher (Oregon).)
Return to four team trophies at the NCAA championships. (Co-proposed by Pat Henry (Texas A&M) and Jerry Schumacher (Oregon).)
In the sport of Division 1 cross country, at institutions that do not sponsor indoor or outdoor track and field, athletes are permitted to compete in up to five dates of competition in the segment not concluding with the NCAA championship. However, competition in this segment triggers a season of competition, even if the athlete…
Currently for Cross Country only institutions (those without a sponsored Track & Field Team), if a student-athlete competes on both days of a two-day track & field meet it counts as 2 of the 5 permissible dates of competition during the nonchampionship segment. Often times, meets will host the trials and finals for an event…
We propose the NCAA Site Rep and USTFCCCA Regional Reps make a site visit to assess the course and work with the host institution to address any serious concerns related to NCAA Rules and course safety. This visit should occur at a minimum 6 months prior to the scheduled NCAA Regional but can occur as…
I would like to ensure adequate time between the National Anthem and the start of the first race at a cross country meet. This way we can avoid athletes having to stand on the starting line in bad weather, getting colder right before the start of their race. I suggest the following: Any cross country…
Contest the NCAA D1 Cross Country Championships on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and contest the NCAA D1 Cross Country Regional Championships two Saturdays before the NCAA Championships beginning in the 2025 season.
To expand the current makeup of each Division 1 Executive Committee to include three non-coaching positions to provide a greater scope of persepectives and ideas, including: 1. Administrator – Conference or University administrator 2. Media – Public media outlet representative, university sports information officer, conference media officer, or university sports media faculty member 3. SAAC…
At-large qualifying points to the NCAA Championships can only be earned when 7 (or less) athletes are competing for a team in a single race, matching the limitations and format of the NCAA Regional qualifying meet and the Championship itself.
Beginning with the first allowable date of competition per NCAA Division I legislation for Men’s and Women’s Cross Country through and including the institutions’ respective conference championship, all contests in which an institution enters a team in a competition shall count towards that institutions’ cumulative results for the season, and its resume for NCAA Division…
Propose to return the NCAA Division I cross country national championships to the Monday prior to Thanksgiving.
To amend the nomination and voting timeline for Regional Coach and Regional Athlete of the Year Awards to occur after the NCAA Cross Country Championship meet has concluded. Please see attachment for specifications.
Change the NCAA XC qualifying criteria to read “Note: Late-season performance (a team’s meet that occurs on or after [the Friday seven weekends prior to NCAAs], including regionals) that meets the following criteria will be used during the selection process:” [the Friday seven weekends prior to NCAAs] replaces [September 24], which this year coincided with…
AUTOMATIC QUALIFICATION – Individuals From each NCAA regional meet, the first four student-athletes not on a qualifying team will be automatic qualifiers to the NCAA championships meet.
With the uncertainty of future budgets and viability of Cross Country/Track and Field programs nationwide and to best maintain visibility within athletic departments, I propose a three-year change on qualifying for the NCAA Cross Country Championships. This change would eliminate point chasing at “Mega Invitationals.” This would also regionalize cross country for one year –…
Intent: To amend NCAA bylaws pertaining to Out-of-Season Athletically Related Activities to allow an institution’s coach access to conditioning information and reports to ensure student-athlete’s safety and well-being. Bylaws: 17.6.6 Out-of-Season Athletically Related Activities. Student-athletes and members of the coaching staff shall not engage in countable athletically related activities outside the institution’s declared playing season…
Intent: In cross country, to specify that an institution shall not commence practice sessions prior to the Friday 15-weeks before the weekend of the NCAA Division I National Cross Country Final Championship (the weekend prior to Thanksgiving). Further, to specify the first date of competition for Cross Country be the Friday 12-weeks before the NCAA…
Require mandatory attendance at all awards ceremonies (NCAA & USTFCCCA Awards) that occur in conjunction with the NCAA Championships in Cross Country, Indoor Track & Field, Outdoor Track & Field. This includes pre and post-championship awards ceremonies including but not limited to…Regional Coach / Athlete of the Year, All-American awards, etc. Failure to attend will…
We can currently enter a maximum of 12 student-athletes to the regional championship, and therefore 12 to the national championships. I propose to increase the maximum entry to at least 14 entries.
To eliminate the check-in procedure at our cross country regional and national championship. Currently teams and individual participants are required to check-in for clerking before the championship event, beginning 80 minutes out from race start time.
To allow student-athletes to wear black, white, or grey tights even when those colors do not match the bottom portion of the uniform. The tights would still need to be in unifying color across the team, but all athletes would not have to choose to wear the tights. Currently tights have to match the bottom…
In order for student-athletes to be eligible to participate in the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships, his or her member institution must meet the minimum contest and participant requirements for sports sponsorship as is detailed in the NCAA Division I Manual. Failure to meet these minimum requirements will preclude institution’s student-athletes…
Assuming the other proposal to equalize the race distances for men and women passes, this proposal is to select 8 kilometers as the distance for region and national championship races. NEW PROPOSED LANGUAGE: Course Lengths ARTICLE 1. a. The length of a Cross Country race course shall be at least 4000 meters. The distance for…
To make men’s and women’s cross country race distances equal at any NCAA cross country event. Remove Section 12, Article 1b and modify Article 1a by removing “Men-” from the rule. NEW PROPOSED LANGUAGE: Course Lengths ARTICLE 1. a. The length of a Cross Country race course shall be at least 4000 meters. The distance…
To specify that Executive Committee proposal presentations to include the pros and cons discussed by the Executive Committee
To maintain the current championships race distances and course length requirements for at-large qualification
Remove “All individual automatic qualifiers must finish in the top 25 within their region.” NCAA Pre-Championships Manual; Section 2.4 …Individuals From each NCAA regional meet, the first four student-athletes not on a qualifying team will be automatic qualifiers to the NCAA championships meet. All individual automatic qualifiers must finish in the top 25 within their…
Revise the individual “At-Large” selection process to account for the strength of the Region
Require that teams finish in the top 40% in a cross country competition to be eligible to earn at-large qualifying points
Consolidate Cross Country regions into 5 regions and require qualification into the regional meets based on conference championship finish
Remove the requirement for automatic individual qualifiers in Cross Country to have finished in the top 25 in their respective regional meet
Count “A” team losses, as well as wins, in the at-large selection process for Cross Country
Expand the team and individual field size of the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country National Championships and require qualification into all rounds of the Championships
Modify the playing rules to require institutions to declare athletes who are eligible to score in a Cross Country competition
Allow an individual two competitions in Cross Country while maintaining a redshirt
Align USTFCCCA Division I voting with NCAA Division I voting
Disclose the voting position of each member of the Executive Committee on items of business
Set initial date of telephone contact and off-campus contact at January 1 of PSA’s junior year
Allow contacts with junior prospects at their school or at a competition
Addition of scholarships for the sport of men’s and women’s cross country.
Unofficial results immediately announced and posted at NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships
Increase single gender program’s staff limit to four coaches
To use the current “kolas” formula which is used to determine the field of 31 to establish a final national ranking through the top 64.
Top 25 teams plus Conference Champions qualify for “NCAA First Round” formerly known as Regionals based on regular season RPI (including conference competition).
To allow institutions to add one graduate assistant coach for men’s track and field/cross country and one graduate assistant coach for women’s track and field/cross country.
Proposal to allow NCAA institutions to pay for volunteer coaches to attend national coaches conventions or to attend coaching career education programs.
Have a qualification process based on conference championship finish for teams and individuals to advance to the NCAA Regional Championships.
Create 72 team bi-weekly RPI team ranking during the cross country season alongside the current ranking system.
To have an official NCAA or NCAA Sanctioned selection show to select the 13 at large teams to the NCAA Championship meet.
To bring Division I Cross Country in line with Division I Track & Field in the determination of All-Academic Team.
Recommended revised recruiting calendar and signing period
That all schools participating in NCAA DIV I Cross Country can declare a roster maximum of 5.0 scholarships for men and 6.0 scholarships for women from the current allotment of 12.6MEN/18WOMEN allowed for schools sponsoring Cross Country and Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field
Implement a one (1)-year moratorium on proposals, or proposals derived from the same philosophy, that have gone through the proposal cycle and been defeated.
Subtract one “at large point” for each loss an institution’s “A” team incurred during the qualifying window to any and all NCAA Division I teams that are not selected to the NCAA Championships when determining “at large points” for at large selection to the championships.
Eliminate the existing Championships qualification requirement that all individual automatic qualifiers for the national meet must finish in the top 25 within their region.
Adopt a championships qualifying format for Men’s and Women’s Cross Country that would bring the championships process for these two sports in line with championships for other NCAA Division I sports.
Eliminate the requirement that a team must compete and score at the NCAA Regional meet in order to qualify for the All-Academic Team award.