Page 142 - (FINAL!) UPDATED 13.0) 2020-2021 HANDBOOK - SEPTEMBER 2020 EDITION_Neat

12. CROSS COUNTRY – MEN’S & WOMEN’S – DIVISION I
Section 1. Meet/Championship Dates
The date of the NJCAA Cross Country Championship shall be the second Saturday in November.
November 14, 2020 at Iowa Central Community College; Fort Dodge, IA
November 13, 2021 at Pole Green Park; Richmond, VA
November 12, 2022 at Apalachee Regional Park; Tallahassee, FL
Section 2. Tournament Host Pre-Meet Responsibilities
The NJCAA Championship course must meet the course standards of the NCAA. The NJCAA Cross Country Chairperson or his/her
designee will make a final inspection of the course one day prior to the NJCAA Cross Country Championship. NCAA Cross Country
Rulebook and any exceptions must be cleared through the NJCAA Representative/Designee.
Section 3. Qualifications of Teams for Competition
A. All teams will qualify by open invitation, provided they participated in their region championship.
B. No contestants shall be permitted to enter an NJCAA Championship Cross Country Meet unless accompanied by:
1. A coach or faculty member of the sending institution, or
2. A designated supervisory coach or faculty member from an NJCAA member college.
a. A designation of a supervisory person in (2) above must be in writing. It shall bear the seal of the college and the
signatures of the Athletic Director and President or Dean of the sending institution. It shall be sent by certified mail to the
Meet Director. All contestants must remain under the supervision of their coach or the designated supervisory person
throughout the meet and until departure from the site.
C. 1. Regions are to compete region competition 13 days prior to national tournament to allow enough time for meet entry and
host logistics.
2. All entries (up to 10 runners) must be made by each college by the second Tuesday before the national competition. Final
Entries must be made and fees paid one day before the national meet.
Section 4. Meet/Championship Course
A. The Men’s course for the NJCAA Cross Country Championship shall be 8,000 meters. The Women’s course shall be 5,000 meters.
It should be planned with due consideration for the safety and welfare of the contestants. Any obstacles or hindrance (dangerous
ascents, descents, ditches, tight turns) detrimental to the competitors must be avoided. Concrete/hard surfaces must be covered
(mulch, rubber mats, etc.). The turf should be of a quality to promote safety and freedom from injury.
B. The course shall be measured by approved surveyor’s methods. The course shall be measured along the shortest possible route
that a runner may take. It is recommended that the course be four meters wide. The first turn of a course shall be a minimum 200
meters from the start with a preferred distance of 400 meters. The last 100 meters of a course shall be straight and at least four
meters wide to the finish.
C. The starting line will be drawn to allow each competitor to line up equal distance from the first turn. It is recommended that the
starting line be wide enough to provide a minimum 50-centimeter space for each four front-line team starters. Lane boxes will be
numbered left to right facing the running area.
D. It is recommended that the start and finish lines be located in close proximity. The finish line will be at the mouth of the finishing
chute and be visibly marked (paint, flags). It is recommended that the finish chute be equal to three feet per entry. Chute may be in
as many sections as the meet manager and timer deems desirable.
E. The course must be available for practice on Thursday and Friday prior to the meet on Saturday.
Section 5. Rules and Officials
A. NCAA Cross Country rules shall be followed with whatever changes or modifications deemed necessary by the NJCAA Cross
Country Committee.
B. The Meet Host will be responsible for securing the services of all necessary officials to satisfactorily conduct the meet as determined
by the NJCAA Cross Country Committee. These officials shall not be drawn from coaches who have teams participating in the meet.
C. There shall be a minimum of 30 minutes between races.
D. In the event of cold or inclement weather, meet participants may wear cold weather gear (i.e. running tights, team sweats, rain suits,
hats) with the approval of the Meet Director and the NJCAA Representative. If runners choose to wear cold weather gear, it must be
of like color and/or matching team colors.
E. Headphones or similar audio devices may not be worn during the championship competition.
F. Meet results shall be made public as soon as results can be tabulated and confirmed for accuracy. One hour after the last race
results have been posted, the results become official and final and no protest can be filed.
G. Jury of Appeals: Members are the NJCAA Representative/Designee, the Championship Meet Director and a person appointed by
the other two members, not to be a coach in the meet.
H. Tiebreaker for NJCAA regional or national championship is head-to-head competition of the top 5 runners.
I. Men and women will alternate starting times/positions with women running first on even numbered years and men running first on
odd numbered years. National race schedule, even numbered years:
2020 NJCAA DI & DII MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
TIME EVENT
10:10 AM National Anthem
10:15 AM First call Division I Women
10:30 AM Division I Women
11:00 AM First call Division II Women
11:15 AM Division II Women
11:45 AM First call Division I Men
12:00 PM Division I Men
12:30 PM First call Division II Men
12:45 PM Division II Men
1:45 PM Awards

J. Any team that participates in a NJCAA Regional Championship that runs four runners or less are only eligible for NJCAA individual
regional awards and are not eligible for NJCAA Regional team awards.