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 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 and 2A Division Races.

• You may only enter runners (teams, individuals, or unattached) into the division for which your school is assigned. For a full list of schools and division assignments, please consult this document. If you believe your school is in the incorrect division, please provide documentation from your school’s registrar as proof of total high school enrollment and send it to the Meet Director (rmarklewitz@saes.org).

• 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.

• 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.

OPEN 1A/2A RACES

All teams may enter an unlimited number of runners into the Boys and Girls Varsity 1A and 2A Open Races.

• You may only enter runners (teams, individuals, or unattached) into the division for which your school is assigned. For a full list of schools and division assignments, please consult this document. If you believe your school is in the incorrect division, please provide documentation from your school’s registrar as proof of total high school enrollment and send it to the Meet Director (rmarklewitz@saes.org).

• 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.

• All runners in the Open 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 Open 1A/2A Divisions.

$300.00 for 1 gender, $400.00 for both genders, $60 per athlete for schools entering 4 or fewer athletes

Entries will close Monday, November 2, 2026 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 November 2nd.

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 November 2nd 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 St. Andrew’s Episcopal School have requested that all schools submit two (2) updated and valid Certificates of Insurance (COIs) each year.

One (1) COI is for the Kiplinger Family, and one (1) COI is for St. Andrew’s Episcopal School.

These COIs must be submitted by your school’s Athletic Director or Business Office prior to any competition that your school is participating in.

These COIs must be submitted by your school’s Athletic Director or Business Office no later than Friday, October 30 at 11:59 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

2:10 pm -- Course closes for warm ups

2:15 pm -- National Anthem

2:20 pm -- Boys Varsity 2A Championship Race / 2A Open Race

2:45 pm -- Girls Varsity 2A Championship Race / 2A Open Race

3:15 pm -- MD Senior XC Athlete of the Year Awards (at the Paddock)

3:20 pm -- 2A Division Awards Ceremony (at the Paddock)

3:40 pm -- Boys Varsity 1A Championship Race / 1A Open Race

4:05 pm -- Girls Varsity 1A Championship Race / 1A Open Race

4:40 pm -- 1A Division Awards Ceremony (at the Paddock)

5:30 pm -- Course closes

Awards will given as follows:

• Top 25 Individual Boys & Girls Finishers (Varsity 1A and 2A Divisions) *

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

* Medals for 17th-25th place in the Varsity Divisions will be available for pickup by coaches at the awards table following the conclusion of the meet. They will not be mailed.

MARYLAND SENIOR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARDS

We will also, once again, award two Senior runners (one boy, one girl) with the "Maryland Senior Athlete of the Year Award."

Criteria for nominating a Senior on your team for this award are at the bottom of this section.

You may nominate a boy and/or girl Senior from your team using the following link --> 2026 Maryland Senior Athlete of the Year Nominations

The deadline for nominations is Friday, October 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM (EDT).

Please see the award description and nomination process below:

Award Description:

The Maryland Senior Athlete of the Year Award is presented to one Senior girl and one Senior boy cross country runner in the state of Maryland who have demonstrated uncommon commitment to the sport, model leadership among their peers, exceptional personal performances and sportsmanship, and have had measurable positive impacts on the culture and performance of their team.

Restricted to:

The head coach of each team may nominate one (1) boy and one (1) girl Senior runner.

Nominated runners must have competed on the team as either a JV or Varsity runner for at least 2 years.

Nomination:

For each nomination, please provide the following information:

• Athlete's school

• Athlete's full name

• Number of years on the team

• A brief (6-10 sentences) description of why you believe they are deserving of this honor, per the qualities described by the award. Please address each of the three qualities (uncommon commitment, exceptional leadership, measurable impact) in your description.

• Accolades (PRs, finish positions in big races, athletic awards)

• Where they are running in college (if applicable)

• Head Coach Name and Email

Submission Deadline:

Please submit your nominations using the form linked above no later than October 30, 2026. Late submissions will not be considered.

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!

Hotels

• Homewood Suites (14975 Shady Grove Rd, Rockville, MD, 20850)

• Hilton Garden Inn (14975 Shady Grove Rd, Rockville, MD, 20850)

• Courtyard by Marriot (2500 Research Blvd, Rockville, MD, 20850)

• Springhill Suites by Marriot (9715 Washingtonian Blvd, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20878)

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.