Men’s Cross Country Recruiting Guidelines
(Based on the results of a study completed by NCSA Recruiting Network)
High School Qualifications
- Division I
- 4 years Varsity
- State Champion or High State Finish (dependant on level of competition: 1A, 2A, 3A
- Honors like All-State or All-Region
- Meet of Champions Qualifier or High Finish (All Divisions in the State)
- Team MVP and/or Captain
- Division II
- 3 or more years Varsity
- State Qualifier or High State Finish depending on level of competition (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A)
- Honors like All-Region, Section, County, Conference or League
- Division III
- 2+ Years Varsity
- State Qualifier preferred
- Honors like All-County, Conference, or League
- NAIA
- 2+ Years Varsity
- State Qualifier preferred
- Honors like All-County, Conference, or League
AAU and USTAF Qualifications
- Division I
- USATF Regional & National competition strongly preferred
- Participation in Track Club
- Division II
- USATF Regional competition preferred
- Participation in Track Club preferred
- Division III
- USATF competition is beneficial
- Track club participation is beneficial
- NAIA
- USATF competition is beneficial
- Track club participation is beneficial
Division I
| Event | Tier 1 Recruit |
Tier 1 Roster |
Tier 2 Recruit |
Tier 2 Roster |
| 5,000M (5K) | 15:00 | 15:30 | 15:50 | 16:15 |
| 10,000M | 31:00 | 35:00 | 35:00 | 36:00 |
Division II
| Event | Tier 1 Recruit |
Tier 1 Roster |
Tier 2 Recruit |
Tier 2 Roster |
| 5,000M (5K) | 16:20 | 17:00 | 17:15 | 17:30 |
| 10,000M | 34:00 | 38:00 | 36:00 | 40:00 |
Division III
| Event | Tier 1 | Tier 2 |
| 5,000M (5K) | 17:00 | 18:00 |
| 10,000M | 35:00 | 40:00 |
NAIA
| Event | Tier 1 | Tier 2 |
| 5,000M (5K) | 17:00 | 18:00 |
| 10,000M | 35:00 | 40:00 |
National Events
- Division I
- USATF National Club Cross Country Championships
- USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships
- AAU Nationals
- Division II
- N/A
- Division III
- N/A
- NAIA
- N/A
Regional Events
- Division I
- USATF Association Championships (State JO’s)
- USATF Regional Championships (Regional JO’s)
- U.S is divided into 15 Multi-State Regions
- Division II
- N/A
- Division III
- N/A
- NAIA
- N/A
College Cross Country by the Numbers
| Schools with Cross-Country Programs | |||
| Varsity | Men | Women | |
| NCAA Division I | 315 | 341 | |
| NCAA Division II | 237 | 265 | |
| NCAA Division III | 387 | 410 | |
| NAIA | 206 | 212 | |
| Junior College | 116 | 128 | |
| Total | 1,261 | 1,356 | |
| Average # Athletic Scholarships, per school | |||
| Division I(per school) | 12.6 | 18 | |
| Division II (per school) | 12.6 | 12.6 | |
| NAIA | 5 | 5 | |
| NJCAA (*varies per school) | 10 | 10 | |
| Total Student-Athlete Participation | |||
| NCAA Division I | 4,652 | 5,534 | |
| NCAA Division II | 2,929 | 3,117 | |
| NCAA Division III | 5,434 | 5,450 | |
| NAIA | 1,893 | 1,826 | |
| NCJAA | 1,027 | 812 | |
| High School | 231,452 | 198,199 | |
women’s cross country recruiting guidelines
(Based on the results of a study completed by NCSA Recruiting Network)
High School Qualifications
- Division I
- 4 years Varsity
- State Champion or High State Finish (dependant on level of competition: 1A, 2A, 3A
- Honors like All-State or All-Region
- Meet of Champions Qualifier or High Finish (All Divisions in the State)
- Team MVP and/or Captain
- Division II
- 3 or more years Varsity
- State Qualifier or High State finish, depending on level of competition (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A)
- Honors like All-Region, Section, County, Conference or League
- Division III
- 2+ Years Varsity
- State Qualifier preferred
- Honors like All-County, Conference, or League
- NAIA
- 2+ Years Varsity
- State Qualifier preferred
- Honors like All-County, Conference, or League
AAU and USTAF Qualifications
- Division I
- USATF Regional & National competition strongly preferred
- Participation in Track Club
- Division II
- USATF Regional competition preferred
- Participation in Track Club preferred
- Division III
- USATF competition is beneficial
- Track club participation is beneficial
- NAIA
- USATF competition is beneficial
- Track club participation is beneficial
Division I
| Event | Tier 1 Recruit |
Tier 1 Roster |
Tier 2 Recruit |
Tier 2 Roster |
| 5,000M (5K) | 18:30 | 19:00 | 18:50 | 20:30 |
| 10,000M | 35:00 | 35:50 | 36:00 | 38:00 |
Division II
| Event | Tier 1 Recruit |
Tier 1 Roster |
Tier 2 Recruit |
Tier 2 Roster |
| 5,000M (5K) | 18:55 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 |
| 10,000M | 36:00 | 38:00 | 40:00 | 42:00 |
Division III
| Event | Tier 1 | Tier 2 |
| 5,000M (5K) | 21:00 | 23:00 |
| 10,000M | 42:30 | 46:00 |
NAIA
| Event | Tier 1 | Tier 2 |
| 5,000M (5K) | 21:00 | 23:00 |
| 10,000M | 42:30 | 46:00 |
National Events
- Division I
- USATF National Club Cross Country Championships
- USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships
- AAU Nationals
- Division II
- N/A
- Division III
- N/A
- NAIA
- N/A
Regional Events
- Division I
- USATF Association Championships (State JO’s)
- USATF Regional Championships (Regional JO’s)
- U.S is divided into 15 Multi-State Regions
- Division II
- N/A
- Division III
- N/A
- NAIA
- N/A
College Cross Country by the Numbers
| Schools with Cross-Country Programs | |||
| Varsity | Men | Women | |
| NCAA Division I | 315 | 341 | |
| NCAA Division II | 237 | 265 | |
| NCAA Division III | 387 | 410 | |
| NAIA | 206 | 212 | |
| Junior College | 116 | 128 | |
| Total | 1,261 | 1,356 | |
| Average # Athletic Scholarships, per school | |||
| Division I(per school) | 12.6 | 18 | |
| Division II (per school) | 12.6 | 12.6 | |
| NAIA | 5 | 5 | |
| NJCAA (*varies per school) | 10 | 10 | |
| Total Student-Athlete Participation | |||
| NCAA Division I | 4,652 | 5,534 | |
| NCAA Division II | 2,929 | 3,117 | |
| NCAA Division III | 5,434 | 5,450 | |
| NAIA | 1,893 | 1,826 | |
| NCJAA | 1,027 | 812 | |
| High School | 231,452 | 198,199 | |