1. WHY HAVE YOUR
ATHLETE COMPETE IN
MORE THAN ONE
EVENT?
This question is answered best
with an example. The reason you
want your 400m/HJ to become
proficient in the 200m because
now you have the opportunity to
score 30 point off of just one
athlete. This comes in handy
especially when you are in a
meet where there is a limit on the
amount of athletes that can
attend. Because of your 400/200
vertical jumper, you have more
room to add another athlete to
your team, thus more
opportunities to score points.
WHAT IS THE CORRECT
NUMBER OF EVENTS?
For starters, there are no rules
listed under the NCAA that limits
the athlete from competing in as
many events has he or she wants
to. As long as that athlete does
not miss an event, which results
in being excluded from the rest of
the meet (including relays), he or
she will not be penalized.
Being practical about this
question, I would have to say that
a reasonable number depends on
the competition, what the goal of
the meet is, and the skill level in
the event in question. If this was a
simple Dual Meet, the goal was to
build strength or to simulate what
the body will need to be accustom
to for a more important meet, and
the athlete has a level of
proficiency then I would say two
to three. Four would be the limit;
110mH, 200m, HJ, and the
1600m relay. I read a PDF off of
uiltexas.org stating their rules on
Event Limitation. Their rule was
stated in Section 1320 Column (f)
number 1. “A contestant shall not
be allowed to compete in more
than three running events,
including relays, and in not over
five events total.”(uiltexas.org
"Section 1320 Track and Field
Plan") Though this was intended
for high-school athletes, I think
that this would be a great guide to
follow when dealing with the
collegiate athlete. It wouldn’t
make sense to have someone
compete in a large number of
events. The risk of injury would
greatly increase due to the athlete
being fatigued as the meet goes
on and the goal of becoming
aquatinted with multiple events
would quickly diminish. This is
because by the third event the
“Most-Outstanding Performer” of a conference meet is usually rewarded to the
athlete who scores a large number of points in their conference meet. Both these
athletes compete and are ranked nationally in more than one event. Courtney
Okolo, Big12 athlete of Univerity of Texas (Left), was awarded Women's Indoor
Track and Field Co-Outstanding Performer of the Year due to her 600yd, 400m,
and 1600m Relay triple. Bryce Robinson, AAC athlete of University of Tulsa
(Right), was awarded Men’s Track Most Outstanding Performer due to his
quadruple in the 60m, 200m, 400m, and 1600m relay.
WHAT IS THE CORRECT NUMBER OF EVENTS?
(Cont.)
“COMBO-ING” THE ATHLETE
BY RANDALL C WALL
MARCH 17, 2015

2. Ideally short sprints are matched with short
sprints and long sprints. Long sprints can be
paired with a short sprint event or even a mid-
distance event. Your high hurdlers can short
sprint and even intermediate hurdle. The
intermediate hurdler can go down to the high
hurdles, long sprinting, and even the mid-
distance. Mid-Distance can either go up or
down in the event distance. This depends on
the strength and path the athlete is best
suited for. Long Distance should stay in the
long distance.
As for the field events, your Long Jumper and
even your Triple Jumper should be able to
sprint. High Jumpers are known to sprint,
James Harris is a recent example.
! HOW SHOULD EVENTS BE PAIRED/GROUPED UP?
BY RANDALL C WALL
MARCH 17, 2015
60 Meters
100 Meters
200 Meters
400 Meters
800 Meters
1,500 Meters
Mile
3,000 Meters
5,000 Meters
10,000 Meters
60 Hurdles
110 Hurdles
400 Hurdles
3000 Steeplechase
High Jump
Long Jump
Triple Jump
55 Meters/60 Meters
100 Meters
200 Meters
300 Meters
400 Meters
500 Meters
600 Yards
600 Meters
800 Meters
1,000 Meters
1,500 Meters
Mile
3,000 Meters
5,000 Meters
10,000 Meters
55 Hurdles/60 Hurdles
110 Hurdles
400 Hurdles
3,000 Steeplechase
High Jump
Long Jump
Triple Jump

3. BY RANDALL C WALL
WORK CITED
"Jan. 14 C-USA Indoor Track & Field Athletes of the Week." - Conference USA Official
Athletic Site. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.conferenceusa.com/sports/c-track/spec-rel/011414aaa.html>.
"Okolo, Sategna Receive Big 12 Postseason Awards." RSS. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
<http://texassports.com/news/2015/3/4/XC_TF_0304150633.aspx>.
"Texas Track and Field off to Strong Start in Penn Relays - The Daily Texan." Texas
Track and Field off to Strong Start in Penn Relays. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.dailytexanonline.com/sports/2014/04/25/texas-track-and-field-off-to-
strong-start-in-penn-relays>.
"UConn Women and Houston Men Win 2015 Indoor Track and Field Championships."
RSS. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
<http://theamerican.org/news/2015/2/28/INDOOR_0228153212.aspx>.