(4x800m relay pre-race at the 2020 D2/3 OATCCC State Championships)
Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (OATCCC) have announced the particulars regarding their upcoming end-of-season meet.
For the year 2021 only, they have opted to forgo the traditional State Championship meet labeling and instead will conduct the OATCCC Indoor Finale.
The Indoor Finale will take place over the course of two days (Friday, March 5th and Saturday, March 6th) with the Division 2/3 athletes set for Friday's competition and the athletes from Division 1 to follow during Saturday's session. The host venue will be the SPIRE Institute located in Geneva, Ashtabula County.
The rationale to change the meet's name and structure this year was in response to the limited opportunities for athletes to compete and less host sites throughout the state being available in the wake of Covid-19.
We reached out to the association's president Doug Joy for more context on the decision.
"The OATCCC has recognized the difficulty of schools finding meets, attending meets, and participating in the meets due to Covid-19."
"As a board, we acknowledged those difficulties and decided to move forward with a meet, but not a State Championship meet."
"Athletes will still have the ability to compete against the best individuals and teams within each event. We hope to be back the the norm in 2022 with a true state championship."
-- Doug Joy
Key points relating to the entry process -
Schedule of Events & Meet Information
(4x800m relay pre-race at the 2020 D2/3 OATCCC State Championships)