CROSS COUNTRY
SEASON OF SPORT
2022-2024
FIRST MEET: August 20, 2022
Saturday August 19, 2023
August 24, 2024
LAST MEET: November 8, 2022
Tuesday November 7, 2023
November 12, 2024
NSCIF CHAMPIONSHIP: Thursday November 10, 2022 (West Valley High School)
Thursday November 9, 2023
Thursday November 14, 2024
STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS: Saturday November 26, 2022 Woodward Park, Fresno
Saturday November 25, 2023 Woodward Park, Fresno
Saturday November 30, 2024
*adjustment for Veterans Day
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CONTESTS: 14
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF SCRIMMAGES: 2
(See General Information # 10)
(Each meet represents one (1) contest whether it is a dual or invitational meet. Section and State Championship Meets are not included as contests.
Note: All dates and sites are subject to change
In the Northern Section, for the purposes of definition a “contest” is defined as a competitive encounter with another school or athlete. A scrimmage
is considered a contest per all CIF and NS By-laws. Scrimmages are counted as each day of competition equals 1 scrimmage. Scrimmages MAY NOT have any of
the following: 1. Paid officials, 2. Teams in full game uniforms, 3. paid admission, 4. Cumulative game score kept, OR 5. Scores reported to any media source.
NSCIF CROSS COUNTRY PLAYOFF QUALIFYING GUIDELINES
I. DIVISIONS
The CIF Section and State Cross Country Meets shall be conducted in five divisions for both boys and girls (Divisions I, II, III, IV, & V).
The five-division format shall be based upon the previous year C-BED school enrollment figures. CIF sections shall be responsible for advancing
schools in their proper enrollment division as described below:
Division I 2800 +
Division II 1950-2799
Division III 1250+
Division IV 600-1249
Division V 400-599
Division VI 399 and under
Note: The enrollment divisions may change slightly from year to year. A review of the current divisions will be made by the Cross Country Advisory
Committee during the September meeting.
II. ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Track and Cross Country Advisory Committee consists of one track and one cross country representative from 10 leagues. Due to low or no schools participating
in cross country from the North Valley and Evergreen Leagues they are combined with the Mid-Valley and Shasta Cascade Leagues for representation.
In cross country, traditional leagues have been combined to form the Sac River/Eastern Athletic, Northern Athletic, Butte View, Shasta Cascade, and Mid Valley Leagues
for competition.
III. SEEDING COMMITTEE
Not Applicable
IV. MEET SITES AND TIMES
A. The NSCIF Cross-Country Advisory Committee shall recommend the host school for the Section Meet at least two years in advance. Coaches should make their desire to
host the meet to the Cross Country Advisory Committee Chairman in writing.
B. The Meet Director of the school hosting the Section Meet should contact the Cross Country Advisory Committee representative at least one month in advance of that meet
in regard to final planning and administration of the meet.
C. The starting time for the NSCIF Championship Meet will be at 2:00 p.m. with each race to follow at 20-30 minute intervals.
V. QUALIFICATION AND SEEDING CRITERIA
All athletes must meet one of the following 3 criteria to compete at the section meets (Division or Masters)
1. Have competed at a league Championship meet/match.
2. Have an injury waiver clearing them for not competing.
3. Have competed in at least 2 verified meets/matches during the regular season.
VI. NORCAL QUALIFICATION
There are no Regional qualifying meets for Cross Country.
VII. STATE QUALIFICATION
A. The first place teams for boys and girls in each Varsity division, plus the top five (5) individuals in each division (provided they finished in the top eight (8) places
in that division) will qualify for the State CIF Championship. Any team or individual from schools under 600 will qualify for State in Division 5. Division 6 is for a Northern
Section team championship award only. When a school qualifies a team for the State CIF Championship Meet, it is the team that qualifies not the individuals. Changes in a team’s
composition may be made by contacting the Section Meet Director prior to Saturday following the NSCIF Finals.
B. Teams may elect not to participate as a team at the State CIF Championship Meet. However, coaches must declare before the Section race that they are not in team qualifying
contention. Failure to do so will cause their athletes to be ineligible for State individual competition. Individual qualifiers to the State CIF Meet will not be adjusted once
official results are posted.
C. Team Entries to the State Meet. Team entries into the State Championship meet are based on a formula that includes the following factors:
1. An established baseline providing a minimum number of entries for each Section.
Division Boys Baseline Girls Baseline
I 0 0
II 1 1
III 1 1
IV 2 2
V 1 1
2. Additional entries based upon the most recent four (4) year history of the Section team performance in each divisional race. (The calculations are the section percentage
of top 10 team finishers over the past four years multiplied by the number of openings in the division. Add the sum to the baseline figure, round off to the nearest whole number.
Tiebreaker is most recent year. No divisional race will have more that twenty-three (23) teams unless an anomaly exists).
3. No Section shall have more than seven (7) team entries in any division.
4. Northern Section Team Entries
Division Boys Girls
I 0 0
II 0 0
III 1 1
IV 2 2
V 1 1
5. Individual Entries
A maximum of five (5) individuals (not on an automatic team entry), per the criteria in each division, will qualify from the section meet to the state meet finals as follows:
# of Section Section Individual
Qualifying Teams -Finish in Top
1 8
2 12
3 14
4 16
5 18
VIII. OTHER RULES GOVERNING THE SPORT
A. Official Rules
The current National Federation Track and Field Rulebook (Cross-Country Section) will be utilized at all Championship meets.
B. Team Composition
A maximum of ten runners may be entered from each school in the varsity races. Unlimited entries are allowed in the Open races.
C. Scoring
1. The first five runners to finish are used to determine a team’s score while the next two finishers are used for displacement purposes. (Division VI will score a team’s first
three runners with the fourth and fifth runners displacing.)
2. If a team enters fewer than five runners, or less than five runners finish, all members of that team shall not be counted in determining the team scoring.
3. Ties in team scoring shall be resolved using the National Federation RuleBook.
4. All divisions shall run together and scored overall, with the highest placing school in each division declared the Division Champion.
5. Team awards will go to the lowest scoring school from each division. Individual awards will disregard divisional breakdown.
D. Order of Events
The order of races at the NSCIF Section Championship Meet will rotate each year. Varsity boys will race first during odd years and Varsity girls will race first during even years.
The Open Division races will follow in corresponding order.
E. Course Distance
1. Varsity: 2.5 – 3.1 miles
2. Open Division: 1.5 – 2.5 miles
Note: Coaches should allow enough time to walk the course before the race.
F. Starting Boxes
Starting boxes will be used at the NSCIF Championships. Coaches will draw for position at the beginning of the meet. Top ten ranked teams will draw for preferred boxes.
Coaches will draw for separate girls and boys boxes. Teams are limited to the area of one box.
G. Finish Line Procedures
1. Name tags or numbers should be used in all divisions. Chip timing and Finishlynx backup video are recommended.
2. The Meet Director should determine prior to starting the race, which teams have full teams, and therefore, figure into the team scoring.
3. The finish chute should be at least 100 feet long, since 60-70 runners are finishing within a minute of each other in some divisions.
4. Enough officials should be present at the finish line to record all finish times, separate all close finishers, help move contestants along through the chute,
and remove name tags and place them on the finish sheet.
5. The Cross Country Committee will act as Jury of Appeals and rule in interpretations at the Section Meet.
H. Post Meet Procedures
1. The complete results shall be sent to the Section Commissioner, the Cross Country Chairman, the Track and Field Commissioner, and all the Section Cross Country coaches
within one week of the meet. Included in this mailing should be a form asking for comments and suggestions from the coaches regarding the administration of the meet. This form
should be returned to the Cross Country Committee Chair.
2. In addition to the complete results, the following information needs to be sent to the Section Commissioner:
A. The names of the coaches of the State CIF Meet qualifying teams.
B. A statement including the name of each school entered, the number of entrants from each school and the total entry fee from each school.
I. Guidelines for Section Meet Courses
1. The use of walkie-talkies, bicycles, and/or other vehicles during races on a cross country course in the Northern Section will be prohibited unless otherwise designated by meet management.
2. Any course on which the Section meet is to be held must be inspected and approved by the Cross Country Committee at least one year in advance of the meet.
The following criteria will be considered in selecting a course for the Section meet:
a. Roads with traffic should not be included in the course unless stringent traffic control measures are in effect.
b. Physical hazards, e.g., rocks, long sections of narrow path, slick downhills, etc, should be avoided.
c. The course should be dirt or grass as much as possible.
d. A variety of terrains are encouraged.
e. The course should be able to accommodate up to 150 runners with adequate passing room on the course.
f. The course must be marked with chalk on all turns. Pylons and flagging should be used. On the course inspectors are a must.
g. Restroom facilities are necessary. The host school should provide dressing and shower facilities.
h. The course will be one that is in common use by the school during their season. It will be available to any team in the section for practice and dual meets during the year,
with notification and approval of the host school.
i. The start and finish must be wide enough and have enough room for passing without sharp turns before the course narrows.
j. A permanent site may be chosen by the Cross Country Committee.
J. Exceeding Contest Limits (14)
If an athlete participates in more than 14 contests prior to the section championships, the following three items are a list of possible consequences.
Depending on the intent and the infraction, any level of these consequences could take place.
a) Forfeiture of points and awards earned by the ineligible athlete from the date in which the athlete exceeded the limit.
This would be for any contest prior to the section championships.
b) The school will be placed on probation by the section office.
c) The school must submit a written action plan to the section office outlining how the error will be prevented in the future.
NSCIF GAME MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
I. OFFICIALS
A. Meet Scorer
A scorer for the NSCIF Championship Meet shall be chosen by the Cross Country Committee. This person shall be responsible for the complete team scoring in all divisions and any awards data.
B. Meet Director
The Meet Director shall be the Chairman of the Cross Country Committee or his/her designee.
II. OFFICIAL BALL
Not Applicable.
III. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
Any player whose name appears on the official Varsity, Junior Varsity, or Freshman roster for the last league game and who is currently eligible under CIF guidelines is eligible to participate.
Open Division competition includes freshmen, sophomores, and any junior or senior beyond the number 7 varsity runner on the team.
All athletes must meet one of the following 3 criteria to compete at the section meets (Division or Masters)
1. Have competed at a league Championship meet/match.
2. Have an injury waiver clearing them for not competing.
3. Have competed in at least 2 verified meets/matches during the regular season
IV. UNIFORMS
The National Federation Rulebook and State CIF Guidelines shall be followed.
V. MEET SUPERVISION
The host school shall be responsible for security personnel.
VI. ENTRY FEES (All entry fees subject to change)
A. NSCIF Championship Meet.
An entry fee in the amount of $ 10.00 per runner with a maximum of $400.00 per school will be charged for each athlete entered. Team rosters must be submitted via athletic.net one week in advance of the Section Meet.
The Section Office will bill each school following the NSCIF meet. Additions will be allowed at the meet and substitutions can be made. There will be no refunds. All runners must be entered on the entry list and
accompanied by an authorized coach with proper certification at the Section Meet. (See end of section for Certification of Authorized Personnel Form).
B. NSCIF Divisional Meets and League Qualifying Meets
The Leagues involved will establish entry fees.
The Leagues involved will establish entry fees.
VII. ADMISSION FEES (All admission prices are subject to change)
There are no admission fees to the NSCIF Championship Meet.
VIII. HALF-TIME ACTIVITIES
Non-Applicable
IX. FINANCIAL REPORT
Following each game the host school will forward a financial report to the NSCIF Commissioner’s office within 30 days. A 10 % penalty will be imposed on the host school for reports not
received within 30 days. (See Financial Report form in the General Information Section of these Guidelines). This report shall include:
1. Gross Receipts
2. Itemized list of all permissible expenses.
3. A check for the net amount after all expenses has been paid. Make checks payable to Northern Section CIF.
4. The host school retains program and concession revenues. (Costs for producing programs will not be reimbursed).
X. PERMISSIBLE MEET EXPENSES
A. The host school, while following season customs, is expected to hold expenses to a minimum. The following are reimbursable expenses:
1. Officials Fees (Meet Director - $ 100.00, Meet scorer - $75.00)
2. Security*
3. Facility Rental *
4. Ambulance or Medical personnel *
5. Custodial (Must have prior approval by Section Commissioner if exceeds $ 250)
B. All official personnel will be assigned and paid by the host school (including officials) and indicated on the Financial Report.
C. All other game expenses must be cleared with the Section Commissioner prior to the game.
(Note: Cost for producing programs will not be reimbursed).
* Must have approval by Section Commissioner prior to contest.
XI. PUBLICITY/REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES
A. The host school should provide local newspapers with advance publicity of the teams involved in the play-offs, including tournament times and locations as well as any admission prices.
B. The host school should provide the local newspapers with a summary and highlights of the NSCIF Championship Meet.
C. The Meet Director is responsible to report Meet results to MaxPreps.com (when available) and to the Section Office.
XII. RADIO/TV
The Section Commissioner must approve all commercial radio and TV coverage of section play-off contests. The broadcast fee is $ 100.00 payable to NSCIF prior to the contest.
XIII. VENDORS
A fee of $100 at 10% will be charged per vendor payable to prior to any Section Playoff contests where vendors will be present. The Fee will include all Divisional and Section Championships.
The fee DOES NOT include Regional and State CIF Contests. Any and all display materials are to be provided by the vendor.
XIV. AWARDS (Cross Country)
The following awards have been approved by the Northern Section. Any additional awards must be approved by the Section office. Additional awards may not have any financial impact on member schools.
Championship Shadow Boxes Divs. III, IV, V, and VI (4 Boys, 4 Girls)
7 Team Championship Patches (56 total-4 Divisions Boys and Girls)
7 Team Championship Pins (56 total-4 Divisions, Boys and Girls)
Varsity Individual medals (1st – 25th)
2 ½” Gold Medal w/Olympic Ribbon RWB (Boys and Girls-2 total)
2 ½” Silver Medal w/Olympic Ribbon RWB (Boys and Girls-2 total)
2 ½” Bronze Medal w/Olympic Ribbon RWB (Boys and Girls-2 total)
2” Bronze Medal for 4th-10th w/Olympic Ribbon (Boys and Girls-14 total)
1 ¾” Bronze Medal for 11th-25th place w/Olympic Ribbon RWB (Boys-Girls-30 total)
Note: Maximum of 7 team patches per team. Additional patches and pins may be purchased from the Section Office.
APPENDIX A
Form 506
CERTIFICATICATION OF AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL
CIF BYLAW 506-WHO MAY COACH
A. All public school teams must be coached by a person who meets the requirements of the California Education code and the California Administrative Code Title V.
B. In the case of a non-public school, a person engaged by that school on a yearly contract basis as a regular member of the school teaching staff and certified by the
administrator of that school as competent for the position held.
CIF BYLAW 508-OUT OF STATE COACHING CERTIFICATION
Teams of affiliated California Interscholastic Federation member schools must be coached by staff members certified in their own state (for certain schools outside California).
School: School Team:
Coach’s Name School Phone:
Coach’s Address
(City) (State) (Zip)
I hereby assert and verify that the person named above is authorized by
High School to coach the above team and meets the requirements of the above bylaws as of this date.
(Principal signature) (Date)
(Print Principal’s name)
PLEASE MAKE SEPARATE COPIES FOR EACH CERTIFIED COACH