yea I just saw that in another section - it seems loose enough to allow it though it might be intended for injury substitution..........
So you can be a substitute, but not an alternate??? Very strange. I guess for a 4x400 you would want to have an alternate 400 m runner rather than be stuck with substituting a miler upon an injury....
The 2022 manual spells it out a little more than 2021
1. Only one qualified relay team per institution may be declared. That relay team’s declared performance mark will be used for selection and seeding purposes. All other teams on the descending order list from that institution must be scratched.
2. A relay replacement is an institution’s student-athlete already accepted into the Championships in either an individual event and/or a relay event (Rule 7-7-2).
3. A maximum of four (4) relay alternates may be declared separately, but not later than the close of packet pick-up at the Championships. A relay alternate is a student-athlete not already in the Championships in any event.
4. The four (4) members of the relay team who actually competed and earned a qualifying position will be the ‘declared’ relay team for that institution and will be the only individuals for which NCAA Championship travel reimbursement will be provided. NCAA travel reimbursement will not be provided to relay alternates, even if they compete in the Championship.
5. An athlete on a declared relay who is replaced with a relay alternate or substitute may still compete in any event(s), at any time, in which they had previously been accepted into the meet
Rule 7
SECTION 7. Relays
Relay Racing
ARTICLE 1. Four unique competitors constitute a relay team, each of whom
(except in shuttle relays) carries a baton.
Relay Substitution
ARTICLE 2. Any eligible student-athlete who is a member of an institution’s
team is eligible to participate as a member of an institution’s relay team at any
time during a competition.