(Cross Country action at the 2019 Legends Meet)
On Tuesday morning the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) announced major changes pertaining to the 2020 regional and state tournaments for cross country running.
In a notice shared by OHSAA Director of Communications Tim Stried, it was indicated that the regional and state tournaments will move to a two-day format this year in efforts to spread out the events due to Covid-19 health considerations.
This new set up will have Division III regional races contested on Friday, October 30th and the state meet taking place on Friday, November 6th. For both Division I and Division II athletes, regionals will occur on Saturday, October 31st and the state meet will be held on Saturday, November 7th.
Additionally, the Ohio Department of Health order states that cross country races must be capped at 150 participants, a number which is lower than typical regional and state meet gatherings. The OHSAA has forwarded a variance request, however if that is not approved the regional and state meet races will be conducted over two separate sections.
When a final decision has been on this point, we will publish an update.
Related Links -
Review the OHSAA Board of Directors Meeting Highlights, which contains information on cross country running, along with updates regarding several other high school sports.