DelawareTrackXC

It is a real shame that 3 teams were DQ'd all because their toes were on the wrong side of the exchange zone.

Did that really give them a competitive advantage? They got the batons in the zone!

This is an example of when officials need to think about the spirit of the rule and the letter of the rule. What is it's purpose? To prevent a competitive advantage.

Did the teams gain a competitive advantage? No. Then they shouldn't have been DQ'd and if their times were high enough, they should be allowed to compete Wednesday!

Very dumb call!

@adeyabo the real question is not if they should be allowed to compete at MOC. Instead, it is if there should even be a 4x800m at MOC. Meet of Champions has long been seen as a place for individual performances and PRs. Top quality 800m runners will generally scratch from the 4x8 and instead pursue a personal best in an open event. It is simply a waste to give out 1st Team All-State for the 4x8 at MOC. Instead, the 4x8 should just be given to the team with the fastest time over the course of the season. I don't see at team more deserving of this at the moment than Tatnall, who went under 8 mins at the New Castle County Championships and beat the next best team in the state, Salesianum. At the moment, the 4x8 at MOC is unworthy of All-State honors and its value should be reexamined in the immediate future.

Not all the 800 runners scratch out. Milford went 7:58 which is the best time in the state and josh Johnson ran in that race and came back to finish runner up in the open 800. It's a teams decision heather or not to run their a squad and running both races could actually benefit runners because it could loosen up thir legs

@doughty Milford went ham!

well first off, it is obvious that not all 800 runners scratch off. if that happened then we wouldnt be rewarded with a thrilling 2 lap quest for glory. if you meant that not all 4x8s scratch off, then you would be correct again because only tatnall scratched and sallies went ham without their two strongest runners. in addition it is manifest that hindsight is 20-20 and it is easy to say now that milford is the best 4x8 in the state. they gladly aquired the ham bone in the 4x8. In 2012, the 4x8 actually was useful at MOC unlike other years so congratulations to Milford. However, the tactical prowess of the runners that scratched from the 4x8 should be noted as well. One Samuel Parsons dropped an exquisite 4:12 in the 1600 because he did not run the 4x8, and one Andrew Wade had a 2 second PR in the 800 to run an impeccable 1:57 because he did not run the 4x8 and outkicked Joshua Johnson that did run the 4x8. Also, Terrell Oliver ran poorly in the open 8 after anchoring CR's 4x8. Your judgment on "loosening up the legs" is certainly flawed. A simple and proper warmup should take care of that, not a race that tires an athlete out.