Diverse track stars set the bar high at Coca-Cola Classic

Multi events are scored competitions that award individual competitors pre-determined points for each event within the competition. Traditionally, multi events are: the pentathlon, which includes hurdles, high jump, discus or shot put, long jump and a distance race; the heptathlon, which adds a short sprint and the pole vault; and the decathlon, which adds an intermediate race and javelin and includes both the discuss and shot put events.

During the Coca-Cola Classic, Clint Christy competed in the heptathlon and Jill Crandall competed in the pentathlon.

The meet officially kicked off Friday afternoon with the men’s heptathlon, during which Clint Christy was looking to top his own mark of 4,850 points in that event. Four of the seven events that were completed Friday were the 55-meter dash, long jump, shot put and high jump. Christy won all four events and, with 2,764 points, had an outside chance to break his record.

Saturday morning started with another heptathlon event, the 55-meter high hurdles. Christy took first in that event as well, but said he was not satisfied with his time of 8.45 seconds.

Christy’s nemesis on this day was yet to come, the pole vault. Christy said he knew he needed to do well to have a shot at the record, but he missed all three of his attempts at what UWRF head track and field coach Martha Brennan called a warm-up height of 11 feet. After his second attempt he put his hands on his head and flashed a look of disbelief. He then fell way short on his third and final attempt.

“Track is a sport where you are your own worst enemy,” Christy said, after finishing his final event, the 1,000 meters and tallying 4,210 points.

Christy’s coach also stressed that point.

“You compete against yourself in the multi more than other events,” Brennan said.

This sentiment was also later emphasized by Crandall, who was looking to top the 8-year-old school pentathlon record set by Sarah Peterson at 3,379 points.

Brennan had high praises for Crandall.

“Jill’s a good example of a national caliber athlete that could compete at all levels,” Brennan said.

Crandall got off to a great start accumulating 807 points in the 55-meter high hurdles, with a time of 8.94 seconds.

During the next event, the high jump, Crandall cleared her first two attempted heights, but fell short on her third and laid motionless on the mat for a few minutes, emotionally upset. Brennan then offered Crandall some pointed words of encouragement to help her regain her focus and get ready for the shot put.

“There’s a rhythm to the multi,” Brennan said later. “There’s psychological things that have to be addressed after every event.”

Despite her disappointment after the high jump Crandall was still in a good position to set the school record after the shot put and long jump. All she needed was a time under 2:24 in the 800-meter run. She was well on pace after the first three laps, but fatigue set in on the final lap and Crandall fell just short with a time of 2:24.55. She finished with 3,369 points, just ten points short of the record.

Even though both Christy and Crandall came up short, they and their coach said they are confident this indoor and outdoor track season can be special.

“With a good long jump and a good high jump I can get the conference record,” Crandall said.

Her coach’s expectations are even higher.

“She could break the national record in the pentathlon,” Brennan said.

Christy holds three indoor track records. In 2006 he set the heptathlon record and the long jump record at 22’ 6.5” and in 2007, he set the pentathlon record with 3,400 points.

Brennan got Christy started as a multi-event competitor.

“He’s really talented,” Brennan said. “When I got here he was just a long, triple, high jump guy. He probably couldn’t get to nationals in those events ... it’s only natural for him to do decathlon.”

Crandall is very similar to Christy as an athlete, Brennan said. Brennan also steered Crandall toward the multi.

Brennan said she believes that molding some of the team’s best athletes into multi-event competitors could give the team an advantage when they get to the conference meet.

“It comes down to where they score more points for us,” Brennan said. “Before I got here we weren’t getting points in the multi.”

Brennan’s experience as a multi-event athlete can help her mold UWRF’s multi-event competitors. She was a competitor in the heptathlon in the 1996 Olympic trials.

“It takes a person who can persevere after a no height,” Brennan said. “You’ve gotta stay right in the middle emotionally during the whole thing.”

This is the first full season for Christy and Crandall as multi competitors and if the Coca-Cola Classic was any indication, the future is bright for both.

Crandall and Christy are using this meet as a learning experience and are looking to the indoor conference meet set for Feb. 23-24 at UW-Whitewater.

“You gotta be prepared for conference,” Christy said. “That’s when everybody tries to peak.”