Paul Schwartz
A draft proposal currently under discussion by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association could cut participation in the Cross-Country State Meet of Champions by more than 20 percent and would eliminate the official team championship.
The full proposal, which still has to be reviewed by the NJSIAA cross-country advisory committee and program review committee before it is presented to the executive committee, was obtained by NorthJersey.com. If approved, it would go into effect this fall.
The current proposal, drafted by a small group invited by NJSIAA assistant director Al Stumpf, would cut the total number of participants in the meet to a maximum of 150 runners. The current meet has about 170 to 190 runners. The proposal says that it will make the race “safer for the runners.”
The reduction mainly comes by cutting the number of teams invited. Under the proposal, 12 teams would be invited to the Meet of Champions: the six group champions and the next six fastest boys and girls teams from across all groups. Currently, 20 teams are invited.
The top 60 runners from across all groups also qualify, as well as any individual group champions that finished outside the top 60. Currently, up to 70 are invited.
The proposal would also eliminate the official team championship, which has been awarded for 50 years. “The Cross-Country Coaches Associations in the state will use the team results from the meet to award a non-NJSIAA Team Championship award,” the proposal says.
Individual medals would still be given to the top 20 runners.
The proposal lists four rationales for the changes:
- To make the meet a more competitive meet that truly recognizes the sport of high school cross-country in New Jersey.
- To ensure that the best runners in New Jersey qualify for the meet.
- To showcase the best runners in New Jersey.
- To ensure the safety of the runners by placing a limit on the number of runners participating in the meet.
The proposal has been met by skepticism from coaches.
“I’ve already heard from lots of coaches who have heard about it and hate it,” said Christian Brothers Academy coach Sean McCafferty, who took over the reins of the state’s most successful boys program in 2016 after two years as the Colts’ assistant and 10 years as the highly-successful coach at Holmdel. “Even coaches who have never come close to qualifying for the SMOC think it makes no sense.”
If the proposed qualification standards were in effect last year, only four Group 1 or Non-Public B teams and four additional individuals from those groups would have qualified for the meet. Two boys and one girl who eventually finished in the top 50 at the meet would not have qualified.
“I don’t understand why they’re screwing the small schools,” said Colts Neck coach Jim Schlentz, whose girls team won the Group 3 state title last year and finished third at the MOC. “I’ve never heard anyone say there are too many runners in the meet.”
NorthJersey.com reached out to Stumpf and NJSIAA executive director Colleen Maguire about the proposal. Maguire declined to discuss the proposal. Stumpf did not respond.
Last year, the NJSIAA voted to eliminate the Tournament of Champions in basketball, bowling, field hockey, girls volleyball, lacrosse, softball and tennis. The legislation did not apply to cross-country or track and field Meets of Champions.
“I thought our sport wasn’t affected by the previous legislation,” said Kinnelon coach Laura Chegwidden-Jacobs, whose teams qualified one runner in the girls race and the runner-up Group 1 boys team last year. “It’s so hard to get there and the kids are always so excited when they make it. Now it’s going to be almost impossible. It’s one of our biggest goals each year to just get there and now that’s all but gone.”
