The NCAA Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee has approved several rules changes regarding technological issues and has added criteria that must be met for NCAA championships qualifying marks from a competition to be accepted.

The committee met June 19-22 in Indianapolis.

Among technology issues the committee addressed was a rule implemented in 1999 that prevented an athlete from viewing videotape during event competition. The group expanded the rule this year by adding that photos could not be viewed and that an athletes' use of any wireless communication device during event competition also is prohibited.

The committee also decided that in cases other than the review of official photo-timing pictures, the use of visual aids such as videotape and photos may not be used to determine the outcome of a protest or appeal.

The list of criteria required for meets or events to be considered acceptable for qualifying purposes grew by three. An athlete who obtains an individual-event qualifying mark during a combined-events competition may not abandon the competition before its conclusion unless medically excused from further competition by a medical doctor or certified trainer assigned by meet management.

In addition, qualifying marks will not be recognized from meets in which contestants are given a second opportunity to compete in the same event(s) on the same calendar day at the same site, unless it is in accordance with the normal established advancement procedure.

Finally, Division I will require that meets must have a minimum of two four-year institutions with at least 14 athletes per gender per institution, or a minimum of five four-year institutions, participating. Division III will have the same requirement, except that the minimum number of athletes will be 10. This addition will be contingent upon approval of each division's championships committee.

The Division II Championships Committee previously approved the criterion of a minimum of two four-year institutions with at least 14 athletes per gender per institution.

The committee also specified that implements must be measured and weighed before competition for any qualifying marks to be accepted.

In addition to the full committee meeting regarding rules changes, the group's division subcommittees also took the following administrative actions:

Division I

* Emphasized that the women's cross country regional and championships races will be contested on 6,000-meter courses beginning in 2000.

* Made electronic filing of the cross country score reporting form an option for 2000 and a requirement for 2001.

* Approved a proposal to modify the current criteria for the at-large team selections to the cross country championships. The modification will address the current situation in which a team with no regular-season wins over automatic qualifiers places third in a regional meet, thereby eliminating all teams that place behind it. Such teams could include ones with multiple regular-season wins over automatic qualifiers from other districts.

* Endorsed moving the cross country championships banquet from Sunday evening to Saturday evening. Since the banquet is not an NCAA-sponsored function, attendance by the competing teams is optional.

* Voted to recommend to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet that Indiana State University host the 2002 men's and women's cross country championships, pending a site visit.

* Reiterated support for the proposal for regional qualifying meets and increased field sizes for the national championships in outdoor track and field that was approved by the Championships/Competition Cabinet in February 2000. The proposal will be considered by the Division I Management Council in February 2001.

* Approved having all proof-of-performance forms and declarations submitted electronically for both the indoor and outdoor track and field championships.

* Recommended to the Championships/Competition Cabinet the addition of three paid officials -- producer, head implement inspector and head marshal -- for both the indoor and outdoor championships. Also recommended that the fee for officials be increased to $150 per day.

* Discussed the development of a facility checklist and minimum requirements for potential hosts of both indoor and outdoor championships.

* Met with Craig Masback, chief executive officer of USA Track and Field (USATF), and Duffy Mahoney, USATF director of high performance programs, and discussed methods by which the two organizations can work together to improve the sport.

Division II

* Announced the following sites for the 2000 cross country regional meets: South -- University of North Florida; Southeast -- Greensboro, North Carolina, hosted by St. Augustine's College; East -- Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania; Northeast -- University of Massachusetts at Lowell; Great Lakes -- Ashland University; North Central -- Fort Hays State University; South Central -- Texas A&M University-Commerce; and West -- California State Polytechnic Institute, Pomona. The South and New England regionals make their debut this year. All regionals will be held during the weekend of November 3-5, with the championships set for November 18 at Cal Poly Pomona.

* Voted to have all indoor and outdoor track and field proof-of-performance forms submitted via e-mail for the 2001 championships. Submission of the forms by e-mail was mandatory for the 2000 outdoor championships and optional for the indoor meet.

* Decided to give coaches the ability to list preferences on declarations for the indoor and outdoor championships.

* Began investigating the possibility of submitting declarations for the track and field championships electronically.

* Confirmed Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, as the site of the 2001 outdoor championships.

Division III

* Announced the sites of the 2000 cross country regional meets on November 11: Central -- Wartburg College; Great Lakes -- Hanover College; Mideast -- Dickinson College; Midwest -- University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire; New England -- University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; Atlantic -- State University College at Brockport; South -- Christopher Newport University; and West -- Pomona-Pitzer Colleges. Wisconsin-Eau Claire agreed to host the Midwest regional because of loss of facility access at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.

* Confirmed that the 2000 cross country championships will be November 18 in Spokane, Washington, hosted by Whitworth College.

* Recommended that institutions submitting bids to host future cross country championships include videotape of an event at the prospective venue.

* Voted to survey the division's cross country coaches regarding formula options for selection of teams and individuals to the championships beginning in 2001. The current formula will be used for the 2000 championships.

* Included a question on the survey for coaches of women's teams concerning an increase of the race distance to 6,000 meters from 5,000.

* Approved a five-point system to break all team ties in regional meets for the purpose of advancement to the national championships. The No. 1 runners from each team will be compared and one point will be awarded to the best No. 1 finisher. The same procedure will be used for runner Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5 until all five points have been allocated. The team with the most points will advance. If more than two teams are tied, the criteria are applied in the same sequence until only one team remains. If that sequence fails to break a tie, the average time of the five runners will be used.

* Recommended to the Division III Championships Committee that each eligible student and coach receive per diem for one travel day and each day of the outdoor track and field championships, up to and including the day on which the last competing athlete of that team concludes competition.

* Recommended that the number of participants at the indoor championships be increased from 200 to 230 to bring Division III indoor track and field to an equitable ratio of participants at the national level.

* Continued compiling information on the cost ramifications of schools
making their track facility capable of including the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase at the request of the Championships Committee. The subcommittee expressed its desire to include the event for the 2002 outdoor championships. Although the committee will continue to gather cost information, there appears to be a wide range of conversion costs being incurred by various institutions, which seems to indicate that schools are preparing their facilities for the event. Further study of this issue may be moot because many Division III schools have taken a positive stance on the addition of the event.

* Recommended adding the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase for the 2002 championships.

* Recommended removal of the conference restriction for Division III subcommittee membership.

Rules changes

In addition to the changes described in the accompanying article, the NCAA Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee approved the following rules changes at its June 19-22 meeting in Indianapolis:

* Granted the referee sole power to warn and/or disqualify contestants as provided by the rules, with the exception of the situations covered under the duties of the starter. For example, the referee may disqualify a contestant for unsporting conduct or for willfully disobeying the referee's orders. The referee shall disqualify contestants for violation of the honest-effort rule without warning.

The referee(s) shall indicate a warning to the athlete verbally and by visually displaying a yellow card. A second violation in the same competition constitutes a disqualification, which is indicated verbally and visually by displaying a red card.

Warnings and disqualifications shall be noted in writing by the referee(s) on appropriate meet results and shall identify the rule that applies.

* Ruled that all members of a relay team must wear identical singlets. The pants, shorts or briefs may be of varying length but must have identical color(s). Body suits, if worn, must be identical in color(s), but may be of varying pant lengths.

* Added the use of a device or substance that enhances contact with the baton (for example, gloves or adhesive substances) by any member of a team to the list of relay racing violations.

* Changed the method of meet scoring listed in Rule 7-1-1 to competitions with four or fewer teams and deleted scoring for five teams in a meet.

* Changed the method of meet scoring listed in Rule 7-1-2 to competitions with five or fewer teams, six or more (with the top six places scoring), and six or more (with the top eight places scoring).

* For indoor tracks, specified that the inside edge of the curb or lane line shall be horizontal throughout the length of the track with a maximum slope of 1:1,000. Any facility that exceeds this slope shall be defined as banked.

* In meets with preliminaries, a seeded final run in alleys shall utilize the serpentine seeding procedure.

* Recommended that in meets with preliminaries, if 12 or fewer competitors report for the 1,500-meter run or mile run, the event shall be run as a final.