NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships

10-Region Realignment
Since the last major change to regional alignment in NCAA Division III in 2007-08, the division has grown
significantly. As a result, the Division III Management Council and Championships Committee are
working to implement regional realignment in most NCAA Division III sports to average approximately
40 teams per region.

In the context of these national-level conversations, the USTFCCCA Division III Cross Country Executive
Committee explored whether regional realignment would prove beneficial to NCAA Division III Cross
Country. Division III Men’s Cross Country has grown by 8.9% since 2007-08 (32 institutions), and Division
III Women’s Cross Country has grown by 8.4% (33 institutions).

Further, Division III Cross Country is currently highly imbalanced in terms of sports sponsorship in each
region, with two regions with fewer than 40 institutions in the region and three regions with greater
than 70 institutions each. In particular, the size of the largest regions has created major obstacles in
finding courses capable of hosting the NCAA Division III Regional meets in those regions.

After considering several models, including both nine-region and ten-region alignments, the USTFCCCA
Division III Cross Country Executive Committee unanimously voted to support a ten-region model based
primarily on state lines, with only four states split between regions (Massachusetts, Michigan, New York,
and Pennsylvania).

REGIONAL ALIGNMENT
Current Distribution of Institutions
The current distribution of schools that sponsor NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Cross Country is
as follows:
 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships
10-Region Realignment

Existing 8-Region Format

Region Men’s Teams Women’s Teams
Atlantic 71 72
Central 32 33
Great Lakes 40 40
Mideast 73 76
Midwest 47 49
New England 69 74
South/Southeast 52 58
West 20 21
Grand Total 404 423
Men’s Range: 53 teams (20 – 73)
Women’s Range: 55 teams (21 – 76)
Men’s Average: 51 teams
Women’s Average: 53 teams
Proposed 10-Region Distribution
The ten-region model unanimously supported by the Executive Committee yields the following
improvement in the distribution of NCAA Division III institutions that sponsor Men’s and Women’s Cross
Country:

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 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships
10-Region Realignment

Proposed 10-Region Model

Region Men’s Teams Women’s Teams
1 - East 43 45
2 - Mideast 38 41
3 - Niagara 42 43
4 - Mid-Atlantic 44 45
5 - Metro 42 44
6 - Great Lakes 43 43
7 - South 36 42
8 - North 41 44
9 - Midwest 41 41
10 - West 34 35
Grand Total 404 423
Men’s Range: 10 teams (34 – 44)
Women’s Range: 10 teams (35 – 45)
Men’s Average: 42 teams
Women’s Average: 42 teams
Competitive Balance
The Executive Committee examined the last five years of national qualifying teams (automatic and at-
large) to weigh the relative competitive balance of the new ten-region alignment model. The existing
eight-region format has the following average numbers of qualifying teams per region and gender.

Existing 8-Region Format

Men’s Teams
Region 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 Average
Atlantic 4 5 6 3 3 4.2
Central 4 4 3 4 5 4
Great Lakes 4 3 4 3 4 3.6
Mideast 3 4 3 3 5 3.6
Midwest 6 5 4 8 5 5.6
New England 6 4 4 6 6 5.2
South/Southeast 3 3 4 2 2 2.8
West 2 4 4 3 2 3
Grand Total 32 32 32 32 32

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 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships
10-Region Realignment

Women’s Teams
Region 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 Average
Atlantic 5 5 6 6 5 5.4
Central 3 5 4 3 4 3.8
Great Lakes 6 4 3 3 4 4
Mideast 3 5 5 4 3 4
Midwest 5 5 4 5 6 5
New England 6 4 5 6 6 5.4
South/Southeast 2 2 2 2 2 2
West 2 2 3 3 2 2.4
Grand Total 32 32 32 32 32

The Executive Committee noted that each region and gender currently has an imposed floor of two
teams per gender, since the top two teams in each region automatically qualify to the NCAA Division III
Championships.

Ultimately, after examining the impact of various models, including both nine- and ten-region models,
the Executive Committee determined that while some regions would remain stronger than others, the
overall parity of the ten-region model as described in this document provided greater parity than all
others considered and that the relative strength of regions would change over time under any format.

Proposed 10-Region Model

Men’s Teams
Region 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 Average
1 - East 3 1 1 2 3 2
2 - Mideast 4 4 5 5 4 4.4
3 - Niagara 3 3 3 2 2 2.6
4 - Mid-Atlantic 2 3 2 2 3 2.4
5 - Metro 1 2 2 1 2 1.6
6 - Great Lakes 5 3 4 3 4 3.8
7 - South 2 3 4 2 2 2.6
8 - North 6 4 3 5 6 4.8
9 - Midwest 4 5 4 7 4 4.8
10 - West 2 4 4 3 2 3
Grand Total 32 32 32 32 32

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 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships
10-Region Realignment

Women’s Teams
Region 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 Average
1 - East 4 2 3 4 3 3.2
2 - Mideast 4 4 4 4 4 4
3 - Niagara 2 2 3 4 4 3
4 - Mid-Atlantic 3 4 3 3 3 3.2
5 - Metro 1 2 3 1 0 1.4
6 - Great Lakes 7 4 3 3 4 4.2
7 - South 1 1 2 2 2 1.6
8 - North 3 5 5 6 5 4.8
9 - Midwest 5 5 3 2 5 4
10 - West 2 3 3 3 2 2.6
Grand Total 32 32 32 32 32

The Executive Committee noted that the above numbers would differ in the actual implementation of a
ten-region model, depending on the number of automatic-qualifying teams per region.

QUALIFYING TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Current Qualifying Format
The current qualifying formula for the national Championships in each gender (men and women) is as
follows:
Existing 8-Region Format
Category Teams Individuals
Automatic Teams 16 112
At-Large Teams 16 112
Automatic Individuals --- 56
Total Field Size 32 280

Proposed 10-Region Qualifying Format

After unanimously voting in favor of the above ten-region model, the Executive Committee deliberated
the best way to qualify teams and individuals from ten regions to the national Championships without
significantly increasing current travel party size limitations and requiring a large increase in
championships funding. The Executive Committee unanimously voted in support of the following model
of qualification to the national Championships:
Proposed 10-Region Model
Category Teams Individuals
Automatic Teams 20 140
At-Large Teams 14 98
Automatic Individuals --- 50
Total Field Size 34 288

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 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships
10-Region Realignment

Automatic Team Qualifiers

In each gender (men and women), the top two finishing teams per region at the Regional meets would
qualify automatically for the national Championships, a total of 20 teams per gender. This follows the
current formula of two automatically-qualifying teams per region per gender.
At-Large Team Qualifiers
An additional 14 teams per gender would be selected as at-large qualifiers based on the current at-large
qualifying procedure. This is very close to the current number of at-large team qualifiers under the
existing eight-region model (16), which was important to Executive Committee members in order to
preserve the overall competitiveness of the Championships field.
Automatic Individual Qualifiers
Finally, the top five individuals per region and gender in each of the ten regions who had not already
qualified as a member of a qualifying team would qualify automatically to the national Championships.
This is a decrease in the number of individual qualifiers per region (from seven to five) but an increase in
the number of regions with automatic qualifying individuals (from eight to ten).

Travel Party Size Impact

The current maximum travel party for teams and individuals at the NCAA Division III Cross Country
Championships can be calculated based on the NCAA’s approved NCAA Division III Championships travel
party policy and assuming that each individual qualifies from a different institution (note: the actual
travel party size each year would be less if any individuals from the same institution(s) qualify to the
Championships).

Existing 8-Region Format

Qualifiers Number Travel Party Size Max Travel Party
Teams 32 10 320
Individuals 56 2 112
Grand Total 432

The Executive Committee anticipates that the above model would add, at most, only eight individuals to
the total overall travel party numbers paid for by the NCAA. This number could be lower depending on
the number of institutions that qualify more than one individual.

Proposed 10-Region Model

Qualifiers Number Travel Party Size Max Travel Party
Teams 34 10 340
Individuals 50 2 100
Grand Total 440

Based on the above information, the Executive Committee unanimously supported the above model of
national Championships qualification from the unanimously-supported ten-region format.

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 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships
10-Region Realignment

APPENDIX – List of Schools by Proposed Region – 10-Region Model

1 - East Region
Anna Maria College Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Babson College Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bates College New England College
Bowdoin College Nichols College
Brandeis University Pine Manor College
Bridgewater State University Plymouth State University
Clark University (Massachusetts) Regis College (Massachusetts)
Colby College Rivier University
Colby-Sawyer College Saint Joseph's College (Maine)
Curry College (Women) Simmons University (Women)
Dean College* University of Southern Maine
Eastern Nazarene College Suffolk University
Emerson College Thomas College
Emmanuel College (Massachusetts) Tufts University
Endicott College University of Maine, Farmington
Fitchburg State University University of Maine at Presque Isle
Framingham State University University of Massachusetts, Boston
Gordon College (Massachusetts) University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
Husson University University of New England
Keene State College Wellesley College (Women)
Lasell College Wentworth Institute of Technology (Men)
Lesley University Worcester State University
Maine Maritime Academy Worcester Polytechnic Institute

2 - Mideast Region
Amherst College
Bard College
Bay Path University (Women)
Castleton University of America
Clarkson University
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Connecticut College
Eastern Connecticut State University
Elms College
Johnson & Wales University (Providence)
Lyndon State College
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Middlebury College
Mitchell College
Mount Holyoke College (Women)
Mount Saint Mary College (New York)
Northern Vermont University - Johnson
Northern Vermont University - Lyndon
Norwich University
Rhode Island College
Roger Williams University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
The Sage Colleges
Salve Regina University
Smith College (Women)
Southern Vermont College
Springfield College
St. Lawrence University
State University of New York at Canton
State University College at New Paltz
Plattsburgh State University of New York
State University of New York at Potsdam
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Union College (New York)
University of Saint Joseph (Connecticut)
Vassar College
Wesleyan University (Connecticut)
Western New England University
Westfield State University
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Williams College

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 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships
10-Region Realignment

3 - Niagara Region
Alfred University Morrisville State College
Alfred State College College of Mount St. Vincent
Baruch College Nazareth College
College at Brockport College of New Rochelle (Women)
Buffalo State College New York University
Cazenovia College Penn State Erie, the Behrend College
The City College of New York Purchase College, State University of New York
D'Youville College Rochester Institute of Technology
Elmira College University of Rochester (N.Y.)
Fredonia / State University of New York Sarah Lawrence College
Hamilton College St. John Fisher College
Hartwick College State University of New York at Cobleskill
Hilbert College State University of New York at Cortland
Hobart College (Men) State University of New York at Geneseo
Houghton College State University of New York Maritime College
Hunter College State University College at Oneonta
Ithaca College State University of New York at Oswego
John Jay College of Criminal Justice State University of New York Polytechnic Institute
Keuka College Utica College
Lehman College, City University of New York Wells College
Manhattanville College William Smith College (Women)
Medaille College Yeshiva University

4 - Mid-Atlantic Region
Albright College Marywood University
Alvernia University McDaniel College
Bethany College (West Virginia) Messiah College
Carnegie Mellon University Misericordia University
Chatham University Muhlenberg College
Clarks Summit University Notre Dame of Maryland University (Women)
Dickinson College Penn State Berks College
Elizabethtown College Penn State Harrisburg
Franklin & Marshall College Pennsylvania College of Technology
Frostburg State University University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg
Geneva College Saint Vincent College
Gettysburg College Salisbury University
Goucher College University of Scranton
Grove City College St. Mary's College of Maryland
Hood College Stevenson University
Johns Hopkins University Susquehanna University
Juniata College Thiel College
Keystone College Washington and Jefferson College
King's College Waynesburg University
La Roche College Westminster College (Pennsylvania)
Lancaster Bible College Wilkes University
Lebanon Valley College York College (Pennsylvania)
Lycoming College

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 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships
10-Region Realignment

5 - Metro Region
Arcadia University Neumann University
Brooklyn College New Jersey City University
Bryn Athyn College Penn State University, Abington
Bryn Mawr College (Women) Ramapo College
Cabrini College Rosemont College
Cairn University Rowan University
Cedar Crest College (Women) Rutgers University, Camden
Centenary University (New Jersey) Rutgers University, Newark
Delaware Valley University College of Saint Elizabeth
DeSales University St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn)
Drew University St. Joseph's College (Long Island)
Eastern University College of Staten Island
Farmingdale State College Stevens Institute of Technology
Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham Stockton University
Gwynedd-Mercy University State University College at Old Westbury
Haverford College Swarthmore College
Immaculata University The College of New Jersey
Medgar Evers College Ursinus College
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy University of Valley Forge
Montclair State University Wesley College
Moravian College Widener University
Mount Aloysius College York College (New York)

6 - Great Lakes Region

Adrian College Kalamazoo College
Albion College Kenyon College
Allegheny College Manchester University
Alma College Marietta College
Anderson University (Indiana) Mount St. Joseph University
Baldwin Wallace University University of Mount Union
Berea College (Ky.) Muskingum University
Bluffton University Oberlin College
Calvin College Ohio Northern University
Capital University Ohio Wesleyan University
Case Western Reserve University Olivet College
Centre College Otterbein University
Defiance College Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Denison University Saint Mary's College (Indiana) (Women)
DePauw University Spalding University
Earlham College Thomas More University
Franciscan University of Steubenville Transylvania University
Franklin College Trine University
Hanover College Wabash College (Men)
Heidelberg University Wilmington College (Ohio)
Hope College Wittenberg University
John Carroll University College of Wooster

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7 - South Region
Agnes Scott College (Women)
Averett University
Belhaven University (Miss.)*
Berry College
Birmingham-Southern College
Bridgewater College (Virginia)
Catholic University
Christopher Newport University
Covenant College
Eastern Mennonite University
Emory University
Emory and Henry College
Ferrum College
Gallaudet University
Guilford College
Hampden-Sydney College (Men)
Hollins University (Women)
Huntingdon College
LaGrange College
Louisiana College
University of Lynchburg
Mary Baldwin University (Women)
8 - North Region
Alverno College (Women)
Augsburg University
Beloit College
Bethany Lutheran College
Bethel University (Minnesota)
Carleton College
Carroll University (Wisconsin)
Carthage College
Concordia College, Moorhead
Concordia University Wisconsin
Crown College (Minnesota)
Edgewood College
Finlandia University
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hamline University
Lawrence University
Macalester College
Maranatha Baptist University
Marian University (Wisconsin)
Martin Luther College
University of Minnesota, Morris
Mount Mary University (Women)
Milwaukee School of Engineering
NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships
10-Region Realignment
University of Mary Washington
Marymount University (Virginia)
Maryville College (Tennessee)
Meredith College (Women)
Methodist University
Millsaps College
North Carolina Wesleyan College
Oglethorpe University
William Peace University
Piedmont College
Randolph College
Rhodes College
Roanoke College
Salem College (Women)
Shenandoah University
Southern Virginia University
Sweet Briar College (Women)
University of the South
Virginia Wesleyan College
Washington and Lee University
Wesleyan College (Georgia) (Women)
North Central University
Northland College
University of Northwestern - St. Paul
Ripon College
St. John's University (Minnesota) (Men)
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
College of Saint Benedict (Women)
St. Catherine University (Women)
St. Norbert College
St. Olaf College
The College of St. Scholastica
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
University of Wisconsin, La Crosse
University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
University of Wisconsin, Platteville
University of Wisconsin, River Falls
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point
University of Wisconsin, Stout
University of Wisconsin, Superior
University of Wisconsin, Whitewater
Wisconsin Lutheran College
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9 - Midwest Region
Augustana College (Illinois)
Aurora University
Benedictine University (Illinois)
Blackburn College
Buena Vista University
Central College (Iowa)
University of Chicago
Coe College
Concordia University Chicago
Cornell College
Dominican University (Illinois)
University of Dubuque
Elmhurst College
Fontbonne University
Greenville College
Grinnell College
Hendrix College
Illinois College
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Wesleyan University
Iowa Wesleyan University
10 - West Region
Austin College
California Lutheran University
California Institute of Technology
Chapman University
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges
Colorado College
Concordia University Texas
University of Dallas
East Texas Baptist University
George Fox University
Hardin-Simmons University
University of La Verne
LeTourneau University
Lewis & Clark College
Linfield College
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
McMurry University
Mills College (Women)
NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships
10-Region Realignment
Knox College
Lake Forest College
Lakeland College
Loras College
Luther College
MacMurray College
Millikin University
Monmouth College (Illinois)
Nebraska Wesleyan University
North Central College
North Park University
Principia College
Rockford University
Simpson College
University of the Ozarks (Arkansas)
Wartburg College
Washington University (Missouri)
Webster University
Westminster College (Missouri)
Wheaton College (Illinois)
Occidental College
Pacific University (Oregon)
Pacific Lutheran University
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges
University of Puget Sound
University of Redlands
Schreiner University
Southwestern University (Texas)
Sul Ross State University
Texas Lutheran University
Trinity University (Texas)
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Texas at Dallas
Whitman College
Whittier College
Whitworth University
Willamette University
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