HOME

Cross country is typically a team sport but can also be done as an individual. Teams and individuals run races on outdoor dirt or grass courses. In high school, most races are 5 kilometers. College men usually do 8km or 10km races, while college women do 5km or 6km races. In cross country, the team with the lowest score wins. Races are scored by assigning a point value for the place a runner finishes in. If a runner finishes first, he/she will earn 1 point. Finishing 55th would earn 55 points. A perfect score is 15 points, with the top five runners occupying the first five finishing positions. Most invitational races use the following levels: Varsity, Junior Varsity, Sophomore, and Freshman. Some invitationals will use a grade-level format. (source)