June 23, 2023
VIA EMAIL
Molly Peters
Head Coach Saint Michael’s College
1 Winooski Park Colchester, Vermont 05439
Dear Molly:
Thank you for reaching out to the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics on behalf of the Equal Distance Team. The committee appreciates your attention to this topic and agreed to discuss it further.
During the committee’s May 12, 2023 meeting, committee members shared feedback they had received from their coaches on equal race distances in men’s and women’s cross country. Members shared mixed feedback from their coaches on whether to increase the women’s distances, as well as varying opinions among members. Some members expressed a desire to increase the women’s distances. Others shared concerns raised by coaches about the potential health and safety impact of increasing race distances. Members also acknowledged that some of those concerns may be rooted in gender assumptions and that data would be necessary to support whether health and safety implications were valid.
Given the diverse opinions on the discussion, members agreed the request and the potential gender equity impact merit further consideration by the sport committees. CWA’s role in the NCAA governance structure is to make recommendations to the divisions for their consideration and implementation. Thus, the committee recommended that the Division I and Division III Men’s and Women’s Track and Field and Cross Country Committees and the Division II Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Committee solicit feedback from cross country student-athletes and coaches more broadly to inform a potential distance change. The committee also recommended that the sport committees consider engaging with the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports about whether adjusting the race distances would raise any health and safety concerns for women studentathletes.
If these committees request additional input from the CWA, we will consider their requests at that time. Thank you again for reaching out to the committee and for your committement to supporting women athletes.
Sincerely, Ragean Hill Chair, NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics Executive Associate Athletic Director, SWA, Deputy Title IX Coordinator, University of North Carolina at Charlotte RH:gm
cc: Marion Terenzio Selected NCAA Staff Member