Mideast Regional

Only the 10 athletes on the entry form may compete at the regional.

Enter online on DirectAthletics: opens Mon, Oct 19 at 8 a.m. ET; closes Sun, Nov 8 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Late entries until Tue, Nov 10 at 5 p.m. ET, with a $400 fine per gender.

Roster exceptions only in extraordinary circumstances, in writing to the Track and Field and Cross Country Committee and NCAA championship manager Laura Peterson-Mlynski (lpeterson@ncaa.org).

Print your entry forms and bring them to the regional in case of any issue.

A qualifying finish at the regional is your entry to nationals. You may change the 10 on DirectAthletics until Sun, Nov 15 at 9 p.m. ET, when the system shuts down; with no changes, no action is needed.

Mandatory virtual administrative meeting on Zoom: Wed, Nov 11 at 11 a.m. ET, run by the NCAA site representative and meet director.

The Zoom link and passcode are on page 8 of the manual.

Every institution must be represented. Missing it costs $200 per gender unless you arrange it with the NCAA liaison (lpeterson@ncaa.org) at least 48 hours ahead.

Up to seven runners per team. Running more than seven is a disqualification and counts as misconduct.

Five to seven runners must compete as a team. Fewer than five compete as individuals.

Wickham Park has one entrance from every direction. The GPS address, 1329 Middle Turnpike W, Manchester, CT 06040, takes you to the main entrance.

Park personnel direct team vehicles where to park. Teams and coaches don't pay to park.

Spectator vehicles pay $10 on entry, cash or check only; the park has no card reader.

The safety plan mentions a bus drop-off/pick-up point at the park and buses parked off-site; the manual doesn't say where.

Fri, Nov 13, 1 to 4:15 p.m., at the finish line tent (the schedule calls it the admin tent by the finish line).

Packets not collected Friday are at the same place Sat, Nov 14, after 9 a.m.

Each packet has two bibs with timing chips, two hip numbers and 16 safety pins per athlete. Trash bags for team gear at the starting boxes are at pickup too.

All other meet information is shared electronically before or during the administrative meeting.

Course maps and descriptions are online, and host staff can answer course questions.

Course practice only on Friday and race day, weather permitting.

Fri, Nov 13: 1 to 4:15 p.m.

Race day: the course opens at 9 a.m. by the schedule; Section 5 says 8 a.m. (see the flagged time conflict).

The course is 98% on grass or paths. Women run a start section plus two loops; men run a start section plus three loops (course map keys).

Slight edits to the women's course are still being made right before the 1-mile mark (Appendix C note).

Unofficial Plotaroute drafts of both courses exist, but the appendix maps are the ones with accurate distances.

No locker rooms or other indoor facilities at Wickham Park, and Trinity College's locker rooms are not available. Arrive dressed to run.

Portable toilets in several locations, plus a few flushable toilets in the park.

After the finish, athletes walk through the chute to their team's box to collect warm-ups. Coaches wait outside the chute.

The head coach may check in the team at the assigned clerking location. There is no check-in at the start line.

Check in up to 80 minutes before your race and no later than 20 minutes before it; earlier is encouraged.

Clerking opens at 9:40 a.m. Women's runs 9:40 to 10:40 a.m.; men's stays open until 11:40 a.m.

If you took more than seven sets of hip numbers, chips and bibs, return the extras to meet management in the clerking area at least 20 minutes before your race.

Coaches make sure every athlete wears the proper hip numbers, bibs and chips and meets uniform and logo rules. Violations can mean disqualification.

Late check-in can cost a start, a letter to your athletics director and a fine.

Each athlete gets two bibs with timing chips and two hip numbers in the team packet.

Pin one bib on the front and one on the back of the singlet. Don't fold, crush or crumple a bib; that can stop the chip reading at the finish.

Pin a hip number on each side of the shorts. Both must be visible.

Sixteen safety pins per athlete come in the packet.

Athletes must report to the start line wearing their own proper bibs, chips and hip numbers.

The order of finish is verified: two cameras on each finish-line mat, with a backup video system.

Run through both sets of finish mats. Order in the chute doesn't need to be kept.

Timing mats may be used at select points; splits and team scores may appear in the final results. Splits come only from the designated mats.

Water and athletic trainers are at the end of the chute.

Live results throughout the meet at pctiming.com; official results also posted on the host website in a printable format.

Results for coaches are posted on a board near the finish line. No paper copies are handed out.

If a runner is missing or misplaced, tell the meet referee at the finish line tent right away, with the bib number and approximate finish time. Only head coaches and meet officials may enter the finish and timing area.

Protest/appeals table in the administrative tent by the coaches-only results area. Forms are in the team packet; cite the NCAA rulebook.

Protest fee $100. The 15-minute protest period starts when the last race's results are posted. The head referee's ruling is posted with the results.

Awards ceremony at 1:10 p.m. at the finish line.

The top team per gender is recognized as the automatic qualifier to the national championships.

Medical tent on site: Fri 1 to 4:15 p.m. and Sat 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with water, ice and first aid supplies.

Bring your own taping supplies and a fully stocked med kit.

EMTs and an ambulance are on site Saturday.

If your athletic trainer isn't traveling, email Head Athletic Trainer Ben Stralka (benjamin.stralka@trincoll.edu) with care instructions for your athletes.

Orthopedic Associates of Hartford Urgent Care is open Fri 4:30 to 8 p.m. and Sat 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Closest hospital: Manchester Memorial, three miles from the park. Hartford Hospital is eight miles away.

In a medical emergency, the sports medicine staff and on-site EMT respond and decide whether to call for an ambulance.

The meet director and NCAA site representative watch the weather all week and race morning.

Race-day severe weather updates: BantamSports.com and @trincolltrack on Instagram.

The games committee decides on a delayed start or a move to the next day, considering schools' Sunday competition policies.

If a race is stopped: women before 2,000 m and men before 3,000 m may rerun the same day after a two-hour delay; later than that, the recommendation is the next day.

The games committee may change these policies and schedules.

Lightning detection by Schneider Electric, with a SkyScan detector and Internet Doppler radar as backup; flash-to-bang as a visual check.

The PA announcer tells all teams, fans and spectators to take shelter right away.

Safety plan: go directly to your vehicle and stay there (or at the designated location) until the All Clear is announced.

Section 9 also names the covered pavilions around Wickham Park as shelter locations (see the flagged shelter conflict).

If your bus is parked off-site, call the driver right away to bring it back. Wait at the designated location until it arrives and it's safe to go to the bus drop-off/pick-up point.

Wear your institution's proper uniform, warm-ups included, in races and award ceremonies.

School-issued; singlets identical; pants any length but one identical color; visible undergarments one identical solid color; other visible team items identical in color (above the shoulders, hands and feet excepted). Clean and not objectionable.

No bare-midriff tops: the top must meet or hang below the waistband when standing. Numbers must fit above the waist, front and back.

One manufacturer logo per item, no larger than 2 1/4 square inches, inside a four-sided shape (Bylaw 12.5.3). No apparel naming any other entity. Strictly enforced; violations go to NCAA enforcement.

Assume post-race NCAA drug testing will happen.

An athlete selected for testing must tell an institutional representative (coach or athletic trainer) before going to the testing site.

Gameday the DIII Way: safety, responsiveness, dignity and experience for everyone at the event.

Staff may not publicly criticize officiating (Bylaw 31.1.8).

Misconduct during a race is normally heard after the competition; flagrant cases can mean immediate withdrawal.