At the 2026 National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Region VI Basketball Tournament in Arizona, two intramural sports officials from the 夜色视频, were selected to represent the University’s intramural sports program among 40 other student officials from across the region. One student earned top-three official honors, an elite recognition and a bid to officiate the National Basketball Championships this April.
“Imagine you’re in a room full of a thousand people, and everything you do, there’s always eyes on you. The fans and players don’t care what we see, they only care about what they want. It’s a surreal feeling, everything’s elevated, and they test how much you really know,” said Jay Jordan, one of the student officials.
Jay Jordan and Abraham (Abe) Pelayo are both seniors at the University, with Jordan majoring in marketing and Pelayo majoring in kinesiology. These students work at the E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center as officials for the intramural sports program. While both students were involved in sports as athletes throughout their lives, neither expected to become sports officials.
“I never really thought about what a referee does. Through this, I have learned the other side of the game and how hard it is to manage a game. You're in control of, essentially, three teams. The teams playing, but also, as many people who come to watch,” Jordan said.
“It was an on-campus job that sounded pretty cool, plus working intramurals and working in sports, is a bonus. I have been working at the fitness center for about three years now, and it has made me feel welcomed,” Pelayo said.
At the University, officials must know how every game operates inside and out. That’s a lot to remember, as the fitness center offers over 10 recreational sports, from basketball to floor hockey, cricket and even badminton.
Any student can sign up for intramural sports, giving officials a crucial responsibility to know the games well. It is equally important that officials conduct fair games and keep the crowd at bay, especially during more controversial calls.
“I fell in love with it because I wanted to stay around sports. And intermural became a way for me to stay around that competitive environment,” Jordan said.
Officials are allowed to play and officiate, which incentivizes them to perform high-quality officiating. If they want to participate in high-quality games, they need to officiate at a high-quality level.
Intermural sports drive big competition at the University and can draw in bigger crowds, with hundreds of students coming to support annual fundraiser games such as the fraternity competitions.
“I am good with distractions. Even when there's a controversial call in the game, I'm still able to stay confident and stay locked into the game rather than on the people watching,” Pelayo said.
This year the fitness center allotted a budget to send two student officials to work the Region VI Basketball Tournament in Arizona. After a rigorous application process, Jordan and Pelayo earned spots to represent the University.
During the tournament, student officials not only officiated several basketball games throughout the day, they also got a chance to network and learn from professional officials by watching back films to see how a single call affects the entirety of a game.
“It was my first time doing this type of tournament. A lot of student officials who were there, this was their third, fourth, even fifth time. Doing this for the first time outside of Reno was a win for me,” Pelayo said.
Throughout the weekend student officials are also competing to be the best official. This honor is announced on the last night with the athletes' ceremony. Out of 40 total officials, Jay Jordan earned top three, and Abe Pelayo earned top 12, a huge accomplishment and honor.
"Getting top three was just a cool moment that, you know, the hard work pays off and that people see the work. I don't think the challenge of officiating comes from trying to outshine your officials. It comes from the challenge of, ‘can you be the best version of yourself,’" Jordan said.
“I got to learn from people that have done this as a career. I got to ask questions to bring back to our program. I feel like I've grown as a leader in helping my officials and giving them the advice that I got,” Pelayo said.
Both officials are now looking ahead to what’s next. Jordan and Pelayo are set to graduate this May both earning bachelor’s degrees. Jordan plans to go to graduate school and take additional officiating opportunities outside of the University. Pelayo plans to move back to Las Vegas and work as an official for the southern Nevada region.
“This program helped me to build on my communication skills, be a leader. I definitely want to implement that to my next chapter. This is the coolest job on campus. You're going to be socializing with a lot of students. You just need to be willing to learn,” Pelayo said.
Becoming an intramural official is a great opportunity to build community, get to know people around campus and gain leadership skills. It also provides the building blocks to get involved with high school sports and other professional officiating opportunities.
To become an intramural official at the E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center for fall 2026, students can apply starting this semester through Workday.
