2025 Maryland XC Invitational (MDXC): Info

Saturday, October 11, 2025

Please arrive at DeMatha no later than 5:45am. The bus will depart from DeMatha promptly at 6:00am. It is, approximately, a 65-minute drive to Shawan Downs in Cockeysville, Md.

Note the following meet details:

Location
Shawan Downs
1401 Shawan Road
Cockeysville, MD 21030

Meet Schedule
7:00a - Bib pickup opens | VIP & Remote Parking opens, spectator shuttles begin
8:30a - Coaches meeting
9:00a - Black & Gold Varsity Boys* (Max 10 entries)
9:30a - Black & Gold Varsity Girls
10:00a - AM JV Boys* (Unlimited entries)
10:30a - AM JV Girls
11:10a - Black & Gold Varsity + AM JV Awards
1:00p - Red & White Varsity Boys
1:30p - Red & White Varsity Girls
2:00p - PM JV Boys
2:30p - PM JV Girls
3:10p - Red & White Varsity + PM JV Awards
4:30p - Final shuttle to remote parking departs

*"Black & Gold" is MDXC's version of 'seeded varsity.' Some large meets, or courses that cannot accomodate the number of registered teams accepted, will hold two varsity races, one seeded and one unseeded. The general rule is that programs may only enter a varsity team in one or the other, and seeded is the more competitive. MDXC's meet director reserves the right to switch teams between the two for competitive balance; JV teams run in the corresponding morning or afternoon session. I always enter us in the Black & Gold, or seeded, race and thus far we have never been moved 'down' to Red & White. The change, if one comes from the meet director, would be announced in the days leading up to the event.

Registered athletes

Our varsity team at MDXC will consist of Elijah Hawkins, Dominic Hilton, Jesse Holland III, Jeremy Juste, Cameron Lamb, Phillip Marshall II, Lucas Moisiuk, and Andrew Stinson

All athletes on the roster who are not entered in varsity will be entered in the JV race.

Award Ceremonies
Varsity races - Awards to the top 3 teams and the top 25 finishers in each division

JV race - Awards to the top team and the top 20 finishers

Estimated return to DeMatha
1:00pm (give or take depending on traffic)

Athletes:

• • Shawan Downs is a private property and the land trust that owns the property requires every athlete entered in the meet to submit a release form in order to compete in the race. Release forms from previous seasons do not carry over. Coaches may not submit this form for the athletes, it MUST be completed by a parent or guardian for each athlete. To complete this form, use this link to their Google Form. Please be sure to do this well in advance of race day. With the number of athletes they expect, I highly doubt they will check for last-minute submissions on race-day morning, and I would hate to break the news to an athlete and his parents that he cannot run after making the trip out there because his release form was not completed.

  • Wear your racing uniforms

    • SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPRESSION GEAR WORN UNDER THE UNIFORM: Compression shorts, if worn, MUST be the same BLUE as our school color (ROYAL BLUE) and stop above the knee. Compression shirts may be short or long sleeve (though I recommend no compression shirts unless the weather is exceptionally cold) but MUST be WHITE . If a logo is visible on either piece of apparel, it must be Under Armour.

  • Wear your team gear (if you did not order any or yours has not arrived, you MUST wear Under Armour clothing to warm up in; do not show up in just your uniform).

  • Wear your training shoes. No flip-flops or crocs until after you've cooled down.

  • Pack your racing spikes, if you have them. These should not be your primary shoes for the course walk and warmup/cool down; these are only to be worn during the race.

  • Everyone must pitch in during set-up and/or take-down in regards to the tent, tarp, etc.

Parents:

• I have been asked by the meet director to direct all parents to review information on the parents/spectators page of their meet website. Please review all information carefully.

  • Of note: Please pay particular attention to details regarding parking. There is no on-site VIP parking this year.

    • The only on-site parking available is ADA parking, which is free and does not require pre-registration but does require valid handicap plates or placard to be displayed. The cost for off-site parking is $12.60 (including a processing fee) and there will be 12 shuttle busses running throughout the meet. Note that travel times may be around 30 minutes with traffic plus bus load/unload times. Purchase your parking ahead of time but please note that purchases are non-refundable.

  • In case your son misses it in the athlete section: Shawan Downs is a private property and the land trust that owns the property requires every athlete entered in the meet to submit a release form in order to compete in the race. Coaches may not submit this form for the athletes, it MUST be completed by a parent or guardian for each athlete. To complete this form, use this link to their Google Form. Please be sure to do this well in advance of race day. With the number of athletes they expect, I highly doubt they will check for last-minute submissions on race-day morning, and I would hate to break the news to an athlete and his parents that he cannot run after making the trip out there because his release form was not completed.

Additional Important Details

• • The distance for this course is 5 kilometers.

  • Parents/guardians can sign up to bring water, gatorade, and/or snacks for the athletes to have before and after their races by using this Signup Genius link for this week.

  • Parents and relatives are encouraged to attend; there is a parking fee. Please see information in the "parents" section of this meet info sheet for more.

    • Please note that I expect athletes to stay with the team until the conclusion of the meet to support their teammates. In the event that you absolutely must leave the meet early, you must check in with me first because I need to remain aware of each athlete's location until either I dismiss them to leave with their guardian or until we arrive back at DeMatha. Please do not leave the meet location with your son unless I have dismissed him.

    • IMPORTANT: If you intend to bring your son home from the meet (whether he rode to the meet with you or not), you MUST sign the Return Trip with Parents form and return it to coach before you leave the meet.

    • IMPORTANT: If your son will drive to/from the meet, or if your son will leave the meet with another athlete or parent, you MUST sign the Transportation Verification Carpool form and return it to coach before we depart for the meet.

  • Anybody who takes photos during the meet is encouraged to share them to this shared Google drive folder for the Maryland XC Invitational

  • Athletes will be told to call/text their ride when we leave Shawan Downs. I will also send an alert via Remind with an estimated time of arrival at DeMatha.

• As of Thursday, October 9, the forecast for October 11 is partly cloudy with a high of 70 and a 34% chance of rain in the afternoon. If it holds, it should be a cool but comfortable morning of racing.

If you have any questions, contact Coach Puffett directly.