ARTICLE 1. The primary responsibility of a referee shall be ot render a ruling on all rules violations reported by meet officials or protests filed by coaches of competing teams once the competition starts until the protest period of the competition has ended. The referee(s) shall be knowledgeable and qualified to interpret the NCAA track and filed rules. The referee shall not serve as any other official or as a member of the jury of appeal or games committee.
Duties
ARTICLE 2. The referee(s) shall:
a. After consulting with the appropriate officials, decide all questions, take such actions and make such decisions, including, those for which the rules make no specific provision each contestant a fair and equal opportunity;
b. Ensure fair and safe competition for all competitors and disqualify those whose acts violate the rules of fair and safe competition;
c. Decide all questions regarding the re-staging of an event;
d. Have sole power to warn and/or disqualify competitors as provided by these rules or upon report from the head umpire or head judges of field events, except as provided in Rule 3-1.7.
Warnings shall be indicated to the competitor verbally and by showing a yellow card. A second violation generally constitutes a disqualification, which shall be indicated by the referee to the athlete verbally and by showing a red card. If, in the opinion of the referee, the violation is severe, disqualification will occur without warning. The referee(s) shall note warnings and disqualifications in writing on appropriate meet results and shall identify the rule that applies;
e. Rules on violations reported by competition officials or on filed protests; and
f. Decide place winners in track events and placing in cross country when the judges of the finish cannot reach a decision and when official films of the finish are available.
g. In the event of record track performances, the throwing or jumping referee, and three filed judges, shall verify all measurements and all related conditions;
Finality of Decisions
ARTICLE 3. The referee’s decisions in all matters hsall be final and without appeal, except in those meets in which an appointed jury of appeal has been established for that specific purpose. The jury of appeal then will have the final authority.
Note: See Rules 4-4.10 and 4-4.11 for protest and appeal procedures.