1. CLUSTER MEETS:  These meets bring together all of the teams in our Pacific Coast League at the same cross country meet.  The scores will be on a dual meet basis, which means Beckman vs. each school individually.  We will have 2 Cluster Meets this season (see the attached Meet Schedule).  The other schools in the Pacific Coast League this year are: Corona del Mar, Irvine, Laguna Hills, San Juan Hills and University.  Every athlete competes in these meets. The meet usually starts at 2:45 PM and ends at around 6:00 PM.  We will have our top 7 boys and top 7 girls competing at the Varsity level; all other athletes will compete at the other levels.  The scoring in each division in Cluster Meets is on a point system based on the athlete’s finishing place.  For example, if an athlete finishes 1st, that is 1 point for the team.  The team with the lowest score wins.
 
2. INVITATIONALS:  These meets take place on Friday or Saturday and bring together many schools at the same time.  These are big and fun meets for all the athletes.  Athletes usually compete in class divisions, for example, “Boys or Girls Freshman division.   These meets last about half a day and provide individual as well as team awards.  Our goal in these meets is to collect as much “hardware” as possible (medals, trophies, etc.).  These meets provide competition outside of our area of CIF (California Interscholastic Federation – our state governing body), and are vitally important in the development of our athletes to the elite level.  See the schedule for meet information.

3. LEAGUE FINALS:  Beckman is in the Pacific Coast League this year, where there are a total of six schools (Beckman, Corona Del Mar, Irvine, Laguna Hills, San Juan Hills and University).  The top finishers in the Varsity races will qualify for CIF. Everyone will compete in this important meet.  See the schedule for more details.

4. CIF AND STATE MEETS:  These meets are at the end of the season and athletes who qualify (by winning league or establishing a qualifying standard) will move on to these meets.  This is the ultimate goal for each athlete on a team and individual basis.