A COMPARISON of 2007 and 2008 selection for at-large teams to NCAA national Championships

***NEW At-Large Team Selection Criteria for Cross Country 2008***
Team Selection
Teams (32 per gender) will be selected in the following manner:
 16 teams will automatically qualify (two per region);
 Sixteen at-large teams will be selected by the committee to be determined using the criteria listed below.
 Only the top five teams in each regional will be considered; and
 Regional performance/place is the primary piece of the criteria, as a team cannot be selected to the championships over a team it finished behind at its respective regional.
The selection criteria below (not listed in preferential order) will be considered to select the at-large teams:
 Regional place/performance;
 Late-season performance (A team’s last three regular-season meets prior to regionals that meet the following criteria will be used during the selection process.)
 A team runs at least three of its student-athletes who will compete for their institution at regionals.
 The race length must be at least 5 kilometers or 3 miles for the women and 6 kilometers or 4 miles for the men.
 The meet must be scored in accordance with the scoring procedures in the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field Rules book.
 Head-to-head competition with teams already in the championships field and other potential at-large teams using late-season performance comparisons;
 Common opponents using late-season performance comparisons;
 Regional meet results – point gap for places of a team’s finish and total team score versus the team that placed ahead of and behind it; and
 Late-season meet results - point gap for places of a team’s finish versus the team that placed ahead of and behind it.

***OLD Selection Criteria for Cross Country At-Large Teams 2007***
Teams (32 per gender) will be selected in the following manner:
 16 teams will automatically qualify (two per region);
 16 at-large teams will be selected by the committee to be determined using the criteria listed below; and
 Only the top five teams in each regional will be considered.
The selection criteria below (not listed in preferential order) will be considered to select the at-large teams:
 Regional place;
 Late-season performance (last 2 regular season meets prior to regionals);
 Head-to-head competition with teams already in the championships field and other potential at-large teams using late-season performance comparisons;
 Gap times amongst runners within a team (one to five runners) at regionals;
 Regional meet results – point gap for places of a team’s finish and total team score versus the team that placed ahead of them and behind them; and
 Late-season meet results - point gap for places of a team’s finish versus the team that placed ahead of them and behind them.
Individuals (56 per gender) will be selected in the following manner:
 56 Individuals will automatically qualify (7 per region)
 Remove the team championship qualifiers from regionals and renumber the remaining individuals (not with a qualifying team) to determine the individual national qualifiers.

Sincerely,
James Pennington
President of Div. III Cross Country Coaches Association
Assistant Professor Physical Education
Head Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Coach
Office: (413) 748-3351
Cell:(413) 335-7591
Email: jpenning@spfldcol.edu