Cross Country

I. General Regulations

  1. TMSAA Uniform Rule: All uniforms must follow the NFHS Rules. The referee will warn every participant prior to the meet that they must compete in a legal uniform, and if a contestant competes in an illegal uniform, then that contestant is disqualified from the event. There are no team warnings or individual warnings after the meet begins. Officials should use preventative officiating as much as possible.
  2. For cross country competition the schools should be divided into two classes: Class A and Class AA for both girls and boys.
  3. The middle school cross country distance shall be 2 miles for both girls and boys.

II. Teams

  1. A team will consist of a minimum of five and a maximum of seven. However, if a school does not have a team it may enter less than five runners in the individual division of the meet. No school shall enter more than seven participants in the sectional or state cross country meet.
III. Postseason Meets
  1. In both Class A & AA, schools will be divided into four Sectionals (Section 1 - Upper East, Section 2 - Southwest, Section 3 - Middle, and Section 4 - West). Sectionals will be held across the state with qualifiers advancing to the State Championships. Due to the differing number of schools participating in each meet, the following will be the number of qualifiers from each sectional to the state meet:
    1. Class A:
      1. Sections 1 & 2 (Upper East & Southeast) will advance 26 qualifiers (top three teams and the five next best times);
      2. Section 3 (Middle) will advance 66 qualifiers (top eight teams and the ten next best times);
      3. Section 4 (West) will advance 19 qualifiers (top two teams and the five next best times).
    2. Class AA:
      1. Sections 1 & 2 (Upper East & Southeast) will advance 26 qualifiers (top three teams and the five next best times);
      2. Section 3 (Middle) will be divided into 2 Area Meets: Area 11 will advance 45 qualifiers (top five teams and the ten next best times) and Area 12 will advance 35 qualifiers (top four teams and the seven next best times) directly to the state meet;
      3. Section 4 (West) will advance 19 qualifiers (top two teams and the five next best times).
  2. Sectionals must be completed by Saturday of NFHS Week 12 (September 28, 2024).
  3. State Championships will be held on Saturday of NFHS Week 13 (October 5, 2024) in Clarksville, TN.
  4. There will be a fee of $50 for a girls' team and $50 for a boys' team for each school that participates in the championship series. Check with your school administration to see if this was paid with your school's membership in August. This can be reviewed on the school ledger on the TSSAA Portal.