SSN Commentary

Change Is Overdue in Collegiate Women’s Running

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SUNY at Albany

Originally published as "Change is Overdue in Collegiate Women’s Running, The Cap Times, March 9, 2021

The fall sport of cross country is still in season: the NCAA Division I championships will be held March 15 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Yet more than the championship is behind schedule — change for women runners is long overdue.

For the past 40 years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has rendered women as less capable athletes with lower athletic ability by continuing to hold women’s running races at a shorter distance than men’s races in the sport of cross country. With this practice, the NCAA is sending a horrible message to women and girls across the country: you’re not capable. It’s past time to make a change.