Currently the NCAA Championship Rules do not allow for an appeal, peer confirmation, or review process on disqualifications that are classified as \u201cjudgement calls\u201d.<\/p>\n
Judgement calls are rulings where an official has the authority to disqualify a swimmer or relay for any number of stroke infractions. For instance, a regional official can unilaterally disqualify an elite swimmer for taking an extra dolphin kick in breaststroke off the wall, or a freestyler turning past vertical on one\u2019s back after a turn.<\/p>\n
A stroke disqualification is considered a \u201cjudgement call\u201d by the NCAA. There is no appeal or confirmation process. This type of disqualification is based only on one person\u2019s visual evidence that can often be impacted by poor visibility due to the rush of turbulent water and pool clarity. More often, the visual lines are complicated by the reflective glare of powerful television lights illuminating each lane.<\/p>\n
Given the failings of the human eye, for one official to have supreme influence over a championship performance, based on singular visual evidence, is just wrong.<\/p>\n
Case in point. Two disqualifications took place during the 2019 Women\u2019s NCAA DI Swimming and Diving Championships in which unofficial video evidence seems to show that the infractions did not take place. Both of these could have been overturned if there was a dual confirmation or video review process in place by the NCAA.<\/p>\n