Individual score
Every runner earns an individual placement based on speed. In the September 2026 guide, that individual place is the blue number on the far left of the results.
Cross country scoring
XC Scoring 101
How individual finishes turn into a team result—and why runners six and seven still matter.
Team score
A team needs at least five runners to earn a team score. Runners from teams with fewer than five still receive an individual place, but they are skipped in team scoring.
The first five count
Each team’s first seven runners receive placement scores. The places of the first five finishers are added together to calculate the team score.
Six and seven are blockers
The sixth and seventh runners do not add to the five-runner total, but their places still matter because they push competitors behind them to higher team scores.
Examples from the guide
Jonathan Ho finished 4th individually, but his team had fewer than five runners, so he was skipped in the team scoring. Gavin Borer was Bellarmine’s sixth finisher and took 10th place for team scoring; his point did not enter Bellarmine’s total, but every team finisher behind him received a place one point higher.
Cross Country Meet Scoring
Open the September 2026 Scoring 101 guide, or view it directly below.
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