NEWS: 2025 NCAA D1 XC Championships to Accept 32 Teams

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Earlier today, the NCAA announced that the Division One men's and women's 2025 NCAA XC Championships will feature 32 teams (each) in an effort to, "elevate the championship competition and student-athlete experience."

The press release did not, however, specify whether or not the number of accepted teams to the cross country national meet will remain at 32 teams in the future.

Since the most recent expansion from 22 teams in 1998, 31 teams per gender have qualified for the national meet on an annual basis. Two teams per region will continue to qualify automatically for the national meet, with the at-large field expanding from 13 to 14 teams.

The criteria for individual qualification will remain as it has been, with 38 athletes receiving individual bids to the national meet. That, in turn, will bring the field size to 262 athletes in total.

If the 32-team format had been implemented last fall, the Michigan State men and Princeton women would have been the last two cross country teams to qualify for the national meet, per our 2024 Kolas projections.