NCAA Division I BOD approves fall sports championships for spring 2021; XC champs March 15th...

Action in the 2019 NCAA women's 
cross country championship race
(Paul Merca photo)

INDIANAPOLIS--The NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved Tuesday the recommendations of the Division I Council to move fall championships in men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo to the spring. 

As we posted last week, the NCAA Division I Cross Country championships will be contested Monday, March 15, 2021 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, two days after the end of the Division I indoor championship meet in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 

The field will consist of 31 7-athlete teams and 38 individuals from schools not qualifying teams. 

 

As we've been told by numerous NCAA Division I coaches, the selection of teams advancing to nationals will be by the NCAA track & field's cross country sub-committee. 

Unlike previous seasons, there will not be a regional championship meet to select the 18 automatic qualifying teams to the nationals. 

The final date to get a regular season meet in is March 5th, with the selection date Saturday March 6th, so in all likelihood, conferences will schedule their championship meet on the 5th or as close to that date as possible. 

According to the NCAA release, it is up to the institutions to determine the first practice date. The date of the first allowable competition is Saturday January 23rd. 

 

Under the fall 2020 schedule that was scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Seattle University was supposed to host the Western Athletic Conference championship; Saint Mary's University in Concord, California the West Coast Conference; the University of Utah the Pac-12s in Salt Lake City; and Portland State the Big Sky championships. 

The University of Washington was slated to host the NCAA West regional meet. 

Among the unknowns are whether or not schools can organize "super meets" like the Wisconsin Invitational, the Pre Nationals, etc., where schools can highlight their squads against other national caliber teams; what the travel restrictions will be for teams during the regular season, given that selection to the national championships are done strictly by committee; how much weight will the committee give to the national rankings published by the USTFCCCA; and how many deserving teams get shut out of selection in favor of teams that have built up national reputations, etc. 

With the NCAA cross country championships coming two days after the conclusion of the NCAA indoor championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas, comes the question of whether the track & field committee would consider modifying the meet time schedule to allow athletes in the 3000, 5000 and distance medley relays that are on teams that qualify for the cross country championship to compete early in order to maximize rest time for Monday's championship. 

One train of thought is to move the 3000, 5000 and distance medley races early in the meet's time schedule (in the same time block as the women's pentathlon and men's heptathlon), so distance athletes wouldn't have to compete towards the end of the meet. Then again, if there is no indoor season, all these questions become moot. 

Additionally, if the current government restrictions regarding large gatherings are still in effect, the proposed 2021 cross country season could possibly be in jeopardy. 

One Division I coach who reached out to the site said that, "There’s just sort of an understanding that the whole thing is a little flawed but there’s not a better solution," when asked about this. Another D1 coach said that they are waiting for guidelines from their conference when asked. 

NOTE: The NCAA and the USTFCCCA contributed to this report. 

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