Updated October 2022
Note--Except in the case of emergencies or approval by the conference office, changes to sport regulations by sport committees must be proposed no later than 30 days prior to in-person conference meetings, and approved by the Advisory Board meeting held prior to the start of each subsequent season--May meetings for Fall sports, October meetings for Winter sports, January meetings for Spring sports. (Updated May 2022)
SECTION 1.0 PLAYING SEASON AND SCHEDULING
1.1 All teams must abide by NCAA Rules for season length.
SECTION 2.0 GAME MANAGEMENT/CONDITIONS OF COMPETITION
2.1 The conference office shall invoice member schools for the entry fee and reimburse the host school for expenses incurred, at least up to the amount of entry fees collected. Please note the host school may invoice teams for specific costs of a pre-event dinner separately, if the coaches recommend that a pre-event dinner be held and the pre-event dinner is okayed by the host school and approved by the athletic directors.(Updated January 2015, revised January 2020, and May 2022)
2.2 The rotation for hosting the conference tournament championship shall rotate between the three regional pods (i.e. Hawai‘i, San Francisco Bay Area/Northern California, Southwest/Southern California), unless exceptions are approved the Advisory Board. Recommendations for host schools shall be made by the Commissioner and may include input from the cross country coaches committee. Final host school selection must be approved by the Advisory Board.
2.3. The Advisory Board will establish and announce the upcoming three-year rotation at the annual conferences meeting. The host rotation will be posted on the conference website.
2.4. The race site and specific race times must be approved by the conference Commissioner.
2.5. The host school is responsible for employing and paying a qualified meet director, setting up and paying for a quality timing/results system, and covering the cost of a starter and race official(s). The host school is responsible for employing a qualfied starter and officials, and having enough staff/volunteers on the course to man the race. The course must be clearly marked, following NCAA rules and regulations. (Updated May 2022)
2.5.1. The host school must have a sports information person and a certified athletic trainer on site on race day. The host school must have access to appropriate medical personnel and equipment on race day. The host school must set up a host hotel, including cost efficient rates for competing teams.
2.6 An announcer microphone and/or sound system is part of the mandatory set up for conference championship meet with announcer giving results during conference championship races. Host institution is responsible.
2.6.1. The preliminary Championships Manual shall be issued by the host school (as facilitated by the conference office) to all competing schools by no later than September 1 of each year's championships. The Championships Manual shall be updated, as necessary, with final information and distributed to the competing teams no later than 14 days prior to the championships. (Updated October 2022)
2.7. The conference championship meet will be held on Saturday, two weeks before the NCAA Regional meet (Updated October 2013). All conference schools that field a team are required to compete. (Under special circumstances, an exception to the timing may be granted if approved by the Advisory Board.)
2.8. A conference coaches meeting shall be held the night before the conference championship meet at a site convenient for all coaches (or may be held via Zoom or other electronic medium). Attendance by all head coaches, or their designated representative, is mandatory. The conference office, working with the Host institution, is responsible for making arrangements for the meeting site (or Zoom, or other electronic medium) and communicating the necessary information to all head coaches and key administrators. (Updated October 2022)
2.9. When voting occurs at the coaches meeting, each team is represented by a head coach or his/her designated representative (i.e., a men's cross country team and a women's cross country team) receives one vote in the process. Assistant coaches, who are at the meeting as additional representatives, have no votes. A simple majority is necessary to pass any recommendations.
2.10 All recommended changes or updates to the regulations must be approved by the conference Advisory Board.
SECTION 3.0 CHAMPIONSHIPS
3.1 A championship/games committee will be formed to make a final determination on all race day decisions, including protests and appeals. The committee will be made up of the conference Commissioner (or conference office designee), the host school athletic director, and the cross country liaison (or visiting athletic director/non-host school representative designated before the meet if the liaison is unable to attend).
3.2 The distance of the women's conference championship race will be increased to 6K when the conference meet is held two weeks prior to NCAA regional meet. The distance for the women’s conference championship race shall be 5K distance if there is only one week between conference championships and regional meet.
3.3 The championship race distance will be eight (8) kilometers for men.
3.4 The women's race will be run first in odd years; the men's race will be run first in even years. This corresponds with the order at the NCAA Championships.
3.5 In the conference championship meet, 10 athletes from each school will be allowed to compete. The top five athletes from each team will be used for scoring in the championship race. In case of a tie in scoring, NCAA national championship scoring regulations will be followed.
3.6 Competitors in the championship race will wear team uniforms of "like" color, per NCAA rules and regulations. No jewelry is allowed. Race watches are allowed. Accessories to the uniform, such as head bands, wristbands, running shorts, and undershirts, must be of "like" color.
3.7 In case a runner falls in the first 100 meters of the championship race, the race will be immediately stopped and re-started. There will be no re-start if a runner falls along the course after 100 meters. A runner who leaves the course is disqualified. At the finish, there are no ties among runners allowed. An official at the finish line will determine proper order of finish.
SECTION 4.0 EQUIPMENT
SECTION 5.0 OFFICIALS
SECTION 6.0 AMPLIFIERS, NOISEMAKERS AND OTHER SOUND GENERATING DEVICES
SECTION 7.0 SPORTS INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS
7.1 The meet director (or person responsible for final timing/results) shall not leave the race site until all final results have been successfully delivered to the Assistant Commissioner/Media Relations.
SECTION 8.0 SPORTS MEDICINE REQUIREMENTS
SECTION 9.0 AWARDS
9.1 The top 21 finishers in the men's and women's race will be awarded All Conference honors, with the first seven finishers awarded "first team" and the 8-14 awarded "second team" and 15-21 as "third team”.
SECTION 10.0 TOBACCO USAGE
10.1 Tobacco usage by athletes, coaches, officials and event staff is strictly prohibited at all PacWest athletic events, including pregame warm-ups.
10.2 Violators are subject to contest suspension for each offense. Following a team's first offense, head coaches in addition to the violator are subject to suspension for each additional offense.
SECTION 11.0 COACHES MEETINGS
There shall be two meetings of the coaches annually, one prior to the season and one after the season. The site, date, and time of these mandatory meetings must be communicated to all coaches and administrators at least two weeks prior to the meeting.
SECTION 12.0 ITEMS NOT COVERED
Items not covered in conference regulations shall adhere to NCAA rules and regulations. The Conference office shall have the authority to levy fines or other penalties deemed appropriate for violations of sport regulation. Such penalties shall be appealable to the Committee on Appeals.