MIAMI – By getting to follow her father, Pac-12 official Kevin Kieser, to the BCS National Championship Monday night, Northern Arizona cross country and track student-athlete Kylee Kieser experienced the trip of a lifetime over the 2012-13 winter break.

The opportunity for the elder Kieser to officiate on college football's biggest stage came as Notre Dame knocked off USC on Nov. 24, thereby guaranteeing that a Pac-12 team would not play for the national title. A rotation exists for all six BCS conferences in providing a team to officiate the BCS title game, but there is a rule preventing a conference from officiating a game that includes one of its own teams.

When the Kieser family, all four of whom attended the game, found out the news, the day couldn't come soon enough.

"I had never been to a game this big, so I was looking forward to this new experience," said Kylee, a sophomore from Casa Grande, Ariz. "I've been to games with my dad before, but this was my first time traveling with him out of state. Going to ASU games (he officiates) are exciting, but I was really looking forward to the excitement I experienced in Miami."

Kieser's job as the field judge during the game required that he look primarily for illegal blocks and pass interference, in addition to being responsible for communicating with the head coach on his side of the field.

"It was an honor to be selected," said Kevin. "It really is the pinnacle of my career."

A physical education teacher at Casa Grande middle school, Kevin started his officiating career within the high school ranks in 1988. After moving up to the junior college level in 1992, he worked in the Big Sky Conference from 2000-04 before being picked up by the Pac-12 in 2005. Over the course of his career, Kieser has been on the field for two FCS playoff games and three FBS bowl games – Humanitarian, Texas, and Sugar.

With the vacation of a lifetime wrapping up, Kylee will return to Flagstaff this week, along with the rest of the NAU track and field squad, to prepare for the first indoor meet of the season, the Lumberjack Team Challenge on Saturday in the Skydome.  The field events begin at 9 a.m., followed by the running events at 10 a.m.