AP Style: Cross-country, the sport

This is one that got by me at the time, and I was reminded the other day I needed to post this.

In 2008, AP changed style on the running sport to a hyphenated version, cross-country, instead of its long use of cross country, which conformed to the sport's governing bodies but not Webster's New World.

I'm not sure why AP changed (and did not even mention it in the updates section of its book - I went back and checked), but from what I've seen, it's being often ignored in the real world, as this example from our last weekend's cross country/cross-country high school races here.

So I guess you'll have to make your own decision on this. Personally, I think AP should have left it alone.