The Division III subcommittee of the NCAA Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee voted at its 2001 annual meeting to change the distance of women's cross country races at both the regional qualifying meets and national championships from 5,000 to 6,000 meters, beginning in 2002.

That decision is noteworthy, since it means that the women's race distance once again will be the same in all three divisions. Perhaps equally noteworthy is the lack of discussion in changing the distance of the Division III men's races.

The distance for all three women's championships was 5,000 meters for 17 years -- since the event's inception in 1981 through the 1997 season. Division II was the first to extend the course length to 6,000 meters in 1998, and Division I followed suit in 2000.

Since then, the Division III subcommittee surveyed women's cross country coaches three times regarding their preference on the distance. On the first survey, 60 percent of the coaches opposed the move to 6,000 meters. But by the time the second survey was conducted, the percentage of opposition was down to 51 percent. The third poll taken between the subcommittee's 2000 and 2001 annual meetings indicated more coaches were in favor of adding 1,000 meters than those who weren't.

"The subcommittee's vote was a reflection of the final poll of coaches from across the country," said Bill Taraschke, Division III subcommittee chair and head men's and women's cross country and track and field coach at Baldwin-Wallace College. "In addition, the group noted the steady and sufficient growth in the number of coaches favoring the change."

Another reason for approving the move, according to Taraschke, was to give Division III a measure of separation from girls' high-school cross country. "High-school races are 5,000 meters, so this enables our coaches to note the upward movement in both the level of competition and the race distance in their recruiting messages," he said.

Differing men's distances

Uniformity, however, does not exist when it comes to the men's race distance. Divisions I and II contest their regional qualifying meets and national championships over 10,000-meter courses, and have done so since 1976. Over the same time frame, Division III men have run 8,000 meters.

With the women returning to a consistent distance across the divisions, the question as to whether that will spark discussion in Division III remains to be answered.

"I suspect the change in the women's distance will cause us to consider whether the men should move to 10,000 meters," said John Zupanc, head men's cross country coach and assistant track and field coach at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. Zupanc is in his 20th season with the Titans, and his teams have won three Division III national titles with four more top-five finishes.

"I think 8,000 meters is a good distance," Zupanc said. "One of the reasons is the increased opportunities for participation that it allows.

"The eight-kilometer race is much less intimidating for the track athletes who compete in the 800- and 1,500-meter runs. A move to 10,000 meters may cause some of those middle-distance runners not to continue competing in cross country."

Other worries for women

There is some concern as well over whether female middle-distance specialists will remain cross country team members when the move to 6,000 meters takes effect. "We may lose some 400- and 800-meter runners," Taraschke acknowledged.

In Division II, the longer race has not had a negative effect on the number of women's cross country participants. According to NCAA participation studies, average squad size actually increased from 10.1 team members in 1997-98 to 11.0 in 1998-99, with only a slight drop to 10.9 the following year.

Whether the move to 6,000 meters had any effect in Division I will not be known until the 2000-01 participation study is released in 2002.

The subcommittee chair also has heard other complaints from coaches who are opposed to the distance increase. "Opinions have been raised that women will have more difficulties with eating disorders and stress fractures as a result of this move," he said. "I believe these coaches are truly concerned for and considerate of their student-athletes, but I also think most are coaches who have very little faith in the female runners' abilities to cope."

Taraschke knows the subcommittee will be asked why it did not address the issue of the men's race distance. "We were simply responding to a groundswell of support for the women's 6,000 meters. So far, there has not been nearly the same level of support in favor of increasing the men's course length," he said.

Zupanc is hopeful that his coaching brethren remain satisfied with the 8,000 meters. "It is good enough to give runners who specialize in long-distance events a chance to compete against faster middle distance men," he said. "But it is not too long that the middle-distance runners feel they cannot do it."