Take Action

It’s beyond ridiculous that men & women don’t compete at the same distances in collegiate sports.

— Neal Henderson, Olympic Coach 2012 (London) & 2016 (Rio de Janeiro)

Email your support of Equal Distances to the following people (who make these decisions). 

Cut and Paste these emails to send the letter. 

cbaker@ncaa.org,handelan@up.edu,jmlynski@ncaa.org,rosol774@erau.edu,leldred@ncaa.org,jhenry2@carthage.edu,lpeterson@ncaa.org

NCAA President - Charlie Baker  

D-I XC Chair - Karina Handeland

D-I XC NCAA Liaison - Jeff Mlynski

D-II XC Chair - Mike Rosolino   

D-II XC NCAA Liaison - Lindsey Eldred  

D-III XC Chair - Josh Henry

D-III XC NCAA Liaison Laura Peterson

Dear NCAA Leadership and Cross Country Committee Members,

I am writing to respectfully urge the NCAA to take decisive action toward establishing equal race distances for men and women in cross country at the Division I, II, and III levels.

Cross country is one of the NCAA’s most tradition-rich sports, yet it remains one of the last in which championship distances are unequal by gender. Equal distances would affirm the NCAA’s stated commitment to gender equity, competitive fairness, and athlete-centered decision-making. Our female student-athletes train, compete, and commit at the same level as their male counterparts and deserve to be tested on the same championship stage.

This moment presents a unique opportunity for leadership and alignment across all divisions. A unified approach—whether by moving women to 8km, adjusting men to a common distance, or selecting a shared standard—would simplify governance, strengthen the sport nationally, and send a clear message about equality in collegiate athletics.

Change is rarely easy, but progress often requires us to act decisively. I encourage you to move this conversation from discussion to implementation and to make equal distance cross country a reality for current and future NCAA athletes.

Thank you for your time, leadership, and consideration.

Sincerely,

Sign your NAME HERE.