Episode 53 - 2021 D3 XC Regional Realignment
On July 8th, D3 XC went under a regional realignment from 8 regions to 10 regions. It came as a surprise to some and an “Oh yeah” to others as this was voted on in the 2019 Coaches Convention. Some regions stayed the same, while others were completely changed. The Wisconsin schools will face off against the Minnesota schools, colleges in New York and Massachusetts will be split amongst different regions. These changes were made to create equal field sizes as some regions would be north of 50 teams while others would barely get to 20.
More information on the realignment
The biggest change will be the 1 Automatic Qualifying spot. In years past, it’s been 2 with 16 At-Large Bids. Now, there will be 10 Auto Spots and 22 At-Large Bids, giving a lot of responsibility to the selection committee. Jordan Carpenter comes back on to discuss these changes and what went on behind the scenes when creating this realignment. Cassie Funke-Harris, Head XC Coach at Amherst College, and Jeff Stiles, Head XC Coach at Wash U, share their thoughts on the realignment and how it may affect their programs.
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