it's like a political darwinism thing where football wants more kids, more training camp lottery tickets, more injury cushion, and TF/XC fans want fewer and fewer involved.
i worded that precisely. i didn't say TF/XC coaches, because i think they realize that if you drastically trim conference meets, no cutesy events, limited enties, etc., then next year the college president can decide your budget can shrink to a dollar number using that finals number, or NCAA or some conference can say, well, you only get 10 kids at regionals, so let's trim XC to 17 kids for the season.
also, i think some of this debate is about when the switch flips. for some of us, conference is the end of the gang together, the gang gets to do that, and at that point it's last chance, regionals, nationals, and that's only the team members who mean business. i think you're saying push it a meet back to the end of the season meets.
i'd say that's (entry limits) more defensible at a scholarship level. at d3, i'm not fascist, it's fine if UAA does it that way, or liberty league has a time cut, but i think d3 is generally more about encouraging sticking with sports. so about every team is some mix of stars and scrubs, more akin to HS. so give people their moment in the sun then they have to qualify onward.
that and most conferences have their quirks. and some of those quirks may be about justifying a slightly bigger roster to their school.
which, full circle, only TF/XC seems to want to operate on the idea it needs lean and less budget. or at least some fans do. meanwhile football justifies 85 SCHOLARSHIPS! then has to redshirt this or that kind ATTENDING ON A FULL RIDE.