Team Pentathlon

The MSTCA Team Penthalon will be held tomorrow, Wednesday Dec 27, at the Reggie Lewis Center, starting at 10:00 a.m. Unlike most of the other meets on the scholastic indoor calendar, this one focuses on the field/technical side of indoor track, with the following events contested:

55 Hurdles
High Jump
Shot Put
Long Jump
1000 meters (boys) or 800 meters (girls)

A team consists of five athletes for the five events, where each athlete's performance earns points according to a set of tables. If you are curious, you can find these tables in PDF format at the following link:

IAAF page for combined event scoring

The MSTCA has done a good thing, I think, by moving the Team Pentathlon from the second/third weekend in January to the week after Christmas. Instead of occupying a prime weekend in the middle of the indoor season for an event with a limit of 25 boys and girls teams, the event is now on the calendar at a time when it provides a welcome diversion for those teams that choose to compete.

Historically, the Newton North boys have been one of those teams. The Tigers have dominated the team pentathlon in recent seasons, winning the team plaque four of the last five times years. (They should have won in 2004, too, but Jed Carpenter hurt himself warming up for the high jump, and wasn't able to compete). The 2002 North team holds the record for points scored in the event with 3717.

I don't know whether the boys are going this year or not, but if they do, they could do well with one of the state's best shot putters, and decent talent in all the other events. Likewise, the NN girls, if they choose to compete, should do very well.

For more information, see the following:

Link to Team Pentathlon Entry form and Info