Meet Date: Thursday, November 7, 2024 Meet Location: Ponchatoula High School, Ponchatoula, LA

Host School: Christ Episcopal School

Meet Director: Chad Hunt, CES , Race Starter: Chad Hunt, CES

Official Scoring/Timing: Crescent City Timing

Jury of Appeals: Josh Dominguez - Ponchatoula High, Bryan Murry - Ponchatoula High, Craig Ketelsen - CES 

Race Starting Times:

• Girls 4:00 p.m. 

• Boys 4:45 p.m.

• Awards Presentation immediately following boys race

Packet Pickup: 2:45 - 3:30 p.m., under the tent near the football field entrance.

Please plan your arrival before 2:30p.m. or after 3:00p.m. to avoid being stuck in after school traffic. 

Meet Registration: All schools must register their athletes in advance online via http://La.MileSplit.com. Registration by phone, fax, mail, or email cannot be accepted. Meet Entry Deadline: Registration will close at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 Meet Entry Fee: $105.00 per gender/$210.00 maximum per school; $15.00 per contestant for an incomplete team (that is less than five athletes). Checks should be made payable to Christ Episcopal School and brought with you to the Meet. Do NOT mail it in advance or try to pay online. No team will be allowed to compete without paying the Meet Entry Fee at Packet Pickup.

Entry Requirements: Only LHSAA registered eligible athletes are allowed to compete in this Meet. No ineligible or unattached athletes will be allowed to compete in any race.

Race Entries: Be advised that the entries you submit for the Regional Meet are your final entries and cannot be changed between the Regional Meet and the State Meet. A maximum of (12) athletes per team may be entered in the Meet; any (7) of those (12) athletes may compete in the Meet; but no more than (7) athletes per team are allowed to compete in any scored race. No changes to your entries can be made after the entry deadline. 

Late Entries: A school with a delinquent regional entry form may still enter its contestants in the Meet no later than two hours prior to the race in each division by paying a $50 fine for one contestant or a $100 fine for two or more contestants along with the entry fee. The fine along with the entry fee shall be paid by a school check payable to Christ Episcopal School. 

Race Day Declaration: Your (7) athletes competing in the Meet must be declared no later than one hour prior to the start of each race (same as State Meet). These (7) athletes must come from the list of (12) athletes that you registered in accordance with the above. All bib numbers not declared as your top-7 must be returned at this time. If your top-7 are not declared prior to the deadline, the first (7) athletes who appear alphabetically on your entry form will be the only athletes permitted to compete.

Race Packets: Your race packet will be available for you to pick up beginning at 2:45p.m., at the tent near the football field entrance.  We will have a table setup for you to check in, drop off your entry fee, and pick up your race packet. Race packets will be organized by gender and school and will include your race bib numbers. All runners must wear the bibb number assigned to them in the packet.  Be prepared to declare your top-7 entries at this time.

Timing & Scoring: Timing and scoring will be provided by Crescent City Timing. All runners will be issued a bib number. Runners that do not cross the finish line with his/her bib intact will not be scored. A team must have a minimum of five finishers in order to receive a team score. All runners in all races must wear school uniforms.

Meet Results: All final results will be uploaded to La.MileSplit.com immediately following the meet. 

Meet Awards: Trophies for first and second place teams of each scored race; medals for top-10 place finishers of each scored race;

Qualifiers for the State Meet: Only the top-8 teams from each race of this Meet will advance to the State Meet. All individuals finishing in the top-25 from each race will advance to the State Meet regardless of whether or not they are on one of the top-8 teams. 

Registration for the State Meet: Please refer to the 2024 LHSAA Cross Country State Meet Bulletin for further detailed instructions regarding registration and payment. 

Parking: Please plan your arrival before 2:30 p.m. or after 3:00 p.m. to avoid being stuck in carpool traffic. Team busses will park in the back field near the football stadium, accessed by way of Ridgdell Road.  Turn south on Ridgdell Road from Hwy 22 and then turn right into the parking area. Parking for spectators will be in the front of the school and then use the breezeway (on the left side of school if facing the school) to walk to the back near the football field.  The race will finish on the track so spectators can sit in the stadium and view the finish.

There will be a $5 entry fee to the stadium for all spectators, ages 10 and under are free.  

Final Meet Instructions (regarding the scored Division races):

No team will be allowed to compete without paying the Meet Entry Fee at Packet pickup.

Only coaches are allowed to pick up race packets. Not parents or athletes.

Be sure that you enter your 12-athletes in this Meet. You cannot add or change after this Meet. You must declare your top-7 at packet pickup. And return all unused bib numbers at this time.

All teams will be assigned starting boxes. 

A school must have at least five runners to have a complete team.

No team will be allowed more than seven athletes in the assigned starting box.

No one will be allowed to run in a scored race without wearing a bib number.

Any team found competing with more than 7-runners will be disqualified.

No coaches or parents or non-competing athletes allowed in the starting area.

No coaches or parents or athletes allowed in the finish area or timing tent.

Rules Compliance: Refer to the 2024 LHSAA Cross Country State Meet Bulletin and to Section 13 of the LHSAA Handbook for further explanation of the Cross Country rules and bylaws.

The link to the Division-5 Region 3 entry portal is on MileSplit.  Click on the calendar to find the meet.