Selection Criteria

Effective for the 2007 championships the following at-large selection criteria and procedures will be followed for teams and individuals. (Please note: No changes from the 2006 criteria were approved for the 2007 year.)

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.

Nationals Entry Process

Sunday, November 11, 2007

• Noon ET -- Committee selection call.
   
• 3 pm ET -- Championships fields are posted online at www.ncaasports.com, www.raceberryjam.com, and the championship meet website - www.stolaf.edu/athletics/07ncaaxc/
   
• 3 pm – 9 pm ET -- Online entry period for Cross Country Championships, any entries submitted after this time shall be considered late. Entries must be completed through Direct Athletics (www.directathletics.com/ncaa.html)
   
• 9:01 pm ET -- Entries considered late, but may be considered for the meet, with a $100 fine per team until 11 p.m. ET. After 11 p.m. ET no further entries will be accepted.