A decision last week by the Minnesota State High School League Board of Directors will allow twice as many relay teams to qualify automatically to the State Track and Field Meet, effective in 2012.Under the new rule, proposed by the Minnesota Track and Field Coaches' Association, the top two teams in each Section will advance to State, along with any teams that qualify by time. Previously, only the winning teams in each Section advanced automatically to the State Meet.
The new rule will make State Meet relay qualifying procedures identical to those for individuals.
"We are extremely excited," Kent Viesselman, President of the Minnesota Track and Field Coaches Association, told DtB. "We believe this is in the best interests of student-athletes."
In its proposal, the MTFCA argued that the rule change would lessen confusion about qualifying procedures, create meaningful State Meet semifinals in relay events, and increase the number of participants in the State Meet.
When State Meet semifinal heats have been held in relays events under the old qualifying system, they typically eliminated only one or two teams from advancement to finals.
"It will make preliminary heats in relays much more relevant and significant," Viesselman, the coach at Cambreidge-Isanti, said. "It will be a more realistic tournament. It should be a positive for our State Meet, the MSHSL and track and field."
The proposal was the only rule change offered by the MTFCA to the MSHSL Board this year.
"It has been a 3 year process," Viesselman explained. "We have worked very hard at making this change and met numerous times with the MSHSL and within our Association. We are especially grateful to [Associate Director] Jody Redman at the MSHSL for helping us make this happen. It could not have happened without her."
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