Bittersweet Field

11401B Partnership Road

Poolesville, MD 20837

The Maryland Private School Cross Country State Championships is sanctioned by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), and is therefore subject to the rules and regulations set by the Federation.

All entries should be submitted on the athletic.net registration page.

All Varsity divisions of this meet are limited to runners in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 that are actively enrolled in a private high school or home school in the state of Maryland.

All Junior Varsity divisions of this meet may also include runners in grade 8 in addition to grades 9-12 that are actively enrolled in a private high school or home school in the state of Maryland. 8th graders must be enrolled in the same private / home school as the high school they are representing.

All competitors must be actively enrolled in the same school that they are representing in this championship meet.

VARSITY 1A/2A CHAMPIONSHIPS

All teams may enter a maximum of ten (10) runners into the Boys and Girls Varsity 1A/2A Division Races.

• You may sub in runners from the Boys and Girls Junior Varsity divisions if you are missing athletes. You may not sub in runners that are not already entered into the meet. You must notify the meet timer of this change. You do not need to inform the meet director of this change.

• You may not race more than ten (10) athletes in the Varsity 1A/2A Divisions. Teams with more than ten (10) runners on the line at the start of the Boys or Girls Varsity Division Races will be automatically disqualified.

• All runners in the Varsity 1A/2A Divisions must be in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and must attend the high school for which they are competing. No runners in 8th grade or below are permitted to compete in the Varsity 1A/2A Divisions.

JUNIOR VARSITY CHAMPIONSHIPS

All teams may enter an unlimited number of runners into the Boys and Girls Junior Varsity Division Races.

• You may not sub in runners that are not already entered into the meet, even if it is to replace runners that you have subbed into the Varsity Divisions.

• All runners in the Junior Varsity Divisions must be in 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and must attend the high school for which they are competing.

• 8th graders are permitted to compete in the Junior Varsity Divisions, but not in the Varsity 1A/2A Divisions. No lower grade levels are permitted to compete in the Varsity 1A/2A or Junior Varsity Divisions.

$300.00 for 1 gender, $400.00 for both genders, $35 per athlete for schools entering 4 or fewer athletes

Entries will close Friday, October 31, 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Entry fees are payable through Athletic.net or by check (payable to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and sent to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, 8804 Postoak Rd, Potomac, MD 20854). Payment is not confirmed until payment is received, and status on Athletic.net is listed as PAID.

Entries can be updated at any point until the deadline on October 31st.

Many schools need an invoice for the entry fee in order for bookkeepers to process a check for payment. You can enter athletes and generate an invoice by doing the following:

1. Head to the athletic.net registration page.

2. Submit your roster by selecting the athletes you will enter into the meet. NOTE: You can edit your entries up until the deadline of October 31st at 11:59 PM with no penalty, so the athletes you enter initially do not need to make up your “final” team roster. In order to generate an accurate invoice you should enter the approximate number of athletes that you plan on running on race day (i.e. if you plan on bringing a full team you should enter a full team, and likewise if you only plan to run a few individuals).

3. After you submit your entries, Athletic.net will generate an invoice (based on the “Entry Fees” breakdown above) that can be downloaded and forwarded to your Athletic Director for approval and payment. You also have the option to pay the entry fee by credit card at no additional fee.

Entry fee payment is not complete until payment is received. It is recommended to submit payment as early as possible.

See the “Entry Fees” section above for details on where to send check payments.

Bittersweet Field is private land owned by the Kiplinger Family and operated by the Seneca Valley Pony Club (SVPC).

In order to race on the Bittersweet Field course, the property owners and the SVPC have requested that all schools submit updated and valid Certificate of Insurance (COI) each year.

These COIs must be submitted by your school’s Athletic Director or Business Office no later than Friday, October 24 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

The Meet Director (Ryan Marklewitz) will contact your school’s Athletic Director(s) directly in order to submit the COIs. Coaches do not need to take any action.

Business Offices must follow all instructions below to ensure that your school’s COIs are submitted properly.

FILLING OUT THE COIs

At a minimum, your COIs should demonstrate that your school has at least $500,000 in General Liability coverage for the current school year. Any additional insurance coverage is your school’s prerogative.

You must submit two COIs, one for each Certificate Holder:

CERTIFICATE HOLDER: Knight and Ann Kiplinger, Kiplinger Farmland LLC

ADDRESS: 16801 River Road, Poolesville, MD 20837

CERTIFICATE HOLDER: St. Andrew’s Episcopal School

ADDRESS: 8804 Postoak Road, Potomac, MD 20854

SENDING IN THE COIs

• All COIs must be sent directly to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School’s Meet Director, Ryan Marklewitz, via email (rmarklewitz@saes.org).

• You will receive a confirmation of receipt, or a request for revision, with 3 business days of sending in your COIs.

Runners that are racing Unattached do not need to supply a COI. Instead, they must have a parent/guardian fill out the Runner Release Form linked below:

Runner Release Form

1:00 pm -- Property opens, teams may begin to arrive, warm ups may begin

2:25 pm -- Course closes for warm ups

2:35 pm -- Boys Junior Varsity 5000m Championship Race

3:10 pm -- Girls Junior Varsity 5000m Championship Race

3:42 am -- National Anthem

3:45 pm -- Boys Varsity 1A/2A 5000m Championship Race

4:20 pm -- Girls Varsity 1A/2A 5000m Championship Race

5:00 pm -- Awards Ceremony (at the Observation Tower)

6:00 pm -- Course closes

Awards will given as follows:

• Top 25 Individual Boys & Girls Finishers (Varsity Races, combined)

• Top 2 Boys & Girls Teams (Varsity Races, 1A and 2A)

• Top 25 Individual Boys & Girls Finishers (Junior Varsity Races, combined)

• Top 2 Boys & Girls Teams (Junior Varsity Races, combined)

There are no assigned team areas for the Maryland Private School XC State Championships. All teams can set up their team areas in the “Athlete Village” near the paddock (the square fence) near the starting straightaway.

Please take care to set up all tents outside of the flagging that lines the start and leave space for spectators to line the course.

There are trash cans on site, and all teams are expected to keep their team areas clean. All teams will be provided with two large trash bags. Please take your trash to the bins by the Observation Tower and dispose of them before you leave.

If the trash cans are full, please take your trash with you.

Thank you for helping keep the site pristine!

Please have your spectators and bus drivers navigate to the following address: 14307 Partnership Road

If you are coming from the Baltimore/Rockville direction, make sure you are taking 270 to either Route 190 or Route 28, depending on traffic. Either route is fine for large vehicles.

If you are coming from the Frederick/Hagerstown direction, make sure you are taking 270 to either Route 28 or Route 128,depending on traffic. Either route is fine for large vehicles.

Your GPS may take you onto Glen Road (the third way)...but there is a single-track bridge crossing Watts Branch that is a massive pain to get across if you time it wrong, especially in a large bus. Avoid this if you can!

There will be both Certified Athletic Trainers (ATCs) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) on-site. In the event of a medical emergency, ATCs will be activated and will handle the medical emergency on-site.

The Trainer station will be located at the base of the Observation Tower. Runners, coaches, and spectators should not enter this station unless they are responsible for an athlete that has been taken to the station. If you are inside the station, you may not interfere with any ATCs, and must follow all ATC directions.

In the event that a medical emergency needs to be removed from the property to a hospital, EMS will be activated. The Upper Montgomery Volunteer Fire Department will be on site with emergency personnel and an ambulance. Coaches and parent(s)/guardian(s) of the athlete(s) involved are responsible for coordinating with EMS to determine the hospital that the athlete(s) will be transported to.