The Greg Page Relays, an annual indoor track and field competition hosted by the men’s and women’s track team that marks the beginning of the indoor track season on Friday and Saturday, December 5-6, will no longer be open to unattached or club athletes.
Meet information previously stated that the event was "open to all athletes that are currently eligible.” It has since been updated to specify participants are limited to those who are "currently eligible and actively rostered student-athletes at NCAA and NJCAA institutions only," according to previously posted information about the meet on the Cornell University Athletics website.
The Greg Page Relays were historically an opportunity for club or unattached athletes to compete in officially timed meets. Unattached athletes were required to pay an entry fee of at least $40 per person. Results from these official meets are crucial to athletes hoping to gain the interest of varsity teams.
“Greg Page Relays has often been a proving ground for underclassmen athletes looking to make it onto the varsity team,” said Lucas Corea ’26, a member of the Cornell Running Club. “It is an environment that provides a golden opportunity to perform against varsity collegiate athletes across all divisions and most importantly other varsity athletes on the Cornell team.”
Callum Coots ’27 is also a member of CRC and previously competed in the Greg Page Relays as well as the Marc Deneault Invitational, which also recently limited its entry to NCAA and NJAA rostered athletes, according to information about the meet from Cornell Athletics. He also participated in the Big Red Invitational, which has not posted information about eligibility for the meet.
For Coots, the chance to compete is “incredibly valuable” for his development as a runner.
“These meets have provided me opportunities to build my case as a hopeful walk-on and get noticed by coaches,” Coots said. “They have also allowed me to have a full track season with meets every few weeks.”
According to a Cornell spokesperson, the currently posted information is incorrect and will be updated to ensure that collegiate teams “understand the proper entry procedures.”
“To best meet our team's competitive needs, the Greg Page Relays and Multi Meet are open to collegiate teams by invitation only,” a Cornell spokesperson wrote in an email statement to The Sun. “Our varsity rosters are set for the year. Other opportunities are available within the region for unattached athletes to compete.”
When asked why the decision was made to change the eligibility of the meets, the University did not directly answer, but stated that the change is “not related” to the University’s settlement with the federal government.
In the $60 million settlement with the Trump administration, Cornell agreed to the U.S. Department of Justice’s guidelines including Title IX guidelines pertaining to transgender athletes in sports and more as “unlawful.”
USA Track and Field hosts one other official timed indoor meet, the Niagara Open and Masters Indoor Track and Field Championships on January 18.
“Overall, I am losing the ability to compete at a high level at my own school,” Coots said. “The new eligibility rule makes it impossible for me to compete in Cornell-hosted meets like the Greg Page Relays.”
Zeinab Faraj is a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the features editor on the 143rd Editorial Board and was the assistant sports editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
