Be the Referee: Cross Country Uniforms
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator
September 10, 2024
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Cross Country Uniforms - Listen
Today we’re talking roster sizes and uniforms in cross country.
In the regular season, a school can enter a maximum of 12 competitors, and the top seven contribute to the school’s score. In the postseason, schools can enter a max of seven runners, with the top five contributing to the team score.
In the past, all members of a team had to wear identical uniforms. But that’s no longer the case. Now, each runner must wear a uniform that clearly indicates their team through the use of their predominant school colors, school logo, or nickname. They don’t have to be identical – but the school they are representing must be obvious, and it must be clear who your teammates are.
Something to think about the next time you are getting ready to run 3.1 miles.
Previous 2024-25 Editions
Sept. 3: Soccer Handling - Listen
Aug. 24: Football Holding - Listen
PHOTO Newberry's Samantha Taylor (321) and Abby Taylor (320) lead the beginning of the Wildcat Invite last month at Northern Michigan University, with Samantha eventually finishing first and Abby third. (Photo by Cara Kamps.)
Performance of the Week: Holland West Ottawa's Arianne Olson
November 4, 2021
Arianne Olson ♦ Junior
Holland West Ottawa ♦ Cross Country
Olson enters Saturday’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Cross Country Final coming off her second Regional championship in three seasons, after running a 17:12.32 at Portage Central to best the field by 1 minute, 26 seconds, and help Holland West Ottawa to a dominating team championship with 39 points. She is undefeated this fall and will return to Michigan International Speedway having finished eighth in LPD1 last season and second in 2019 as a freshman.
Her 16:45 at the Oct. 2 Otsego Invitational not only was a personal record but is the fastest time in the state this season by 8.4 seconds. Her top five times this season all would put her among the top 10 all-time finishers in LP Finals history since the distance went to 5K in 1980. That 16:45 also is more than a minute faster than her 2020 personal-record run and 41 seconds faster than her fastest as a freshman. Among her victories this fall, she finished first at two of the most prestigious races in the state – the Spartan Invitational Elite race at Michigan State University on Sept. 17 and the Portage Invitational on Oct. 9.
@mhsaasports 🏃♀️POW: Arianne Olson#performanceoftheweek #mhsaa #xc #running #highschoolsports #tiktalk #westottawa #interview #TikTok #mistudentaid #fyp ♬ original sound - MHSAA
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Second Half’s "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a part of the Office of Postsecondary Financial Planning located within the Michigan Department of Treasury. MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
2021-22 Honorees
Oct. 28: Jack Guggemos, Okemos soccer - Report
Oct. 21: Sachiv Kumar, Northville tennis - Report
Oct. 14: Kate Brody, Grand Blanc golf - Report
Oct. 7: Lilly Nelson, Negaunee tennis - Report
Sept. 30: Stella Chapman, Ann Arbor Pioneer swimming - Report
Sept. 23: Riley Hough, Hartland cross country - Report
Sept. 16: Josie Bloom, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep volleyball - Report
PHOTOS courtesy of Laura Veldhof Photography.