Ready To Double (Or Triple) At #NCAATF

Jalani Davis and Tyra Gittens will be busy.

Cole Hocker will attempt unprecedented history.

Thirty sprinters in the 100 and 200 aren’t content with one event.

Those are just a few of the 88 athletes competing at the final site of the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships this week who are entered in multiple individual events.

Ole Miss’ Davis and Texas A&M’s Gittens are the only two athletes contesting three individual events at the reimagined Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. The former is entered in the discus, hammer and shot put, while the latter takes on all-comers in the heptathlon, high jump and long jump – three events in which she ranks highly on the all-time collegiate chart.

Speaking of all-time performances, Oregon’s Hocker is looking to become the first man in the near 100-year history of the meet to win both the 1500 and 5000 in the same year (Sheila Reid of Villanova is the only athlete to accomplish said feat back in 2011). Hocker, who completed the mile-3000 double at the NCAA DI Indoor Championships in March, will have about 1 hour, 45 minutes between finals on Friday, if he makes it through the 1500 semifinals on Wednesday.

Not to be outdone, three women will attempt the 1500-5K double: Stanford teammates Ella Donaghu and Julia Heymach, as well as BYU standout Whittni Orton, who is the seventh-fastest performer in collegiate history in the 5K and 17th-fastest in the 1500.

Out of the 12 women entered in multiple throwing events, 11 will have the shot put included. UCLA’s Alyssa Wilson, who made it a habit of qualifying in the discus, hammer and shot put since her freshman year, will only have the discus and hammer this year.

Oklahoma’s Madison Langley-Walker probably has the most unique double out of any athlete. Langley-Walker will contest both the 400H and high jump.

Competition at the final site of the 2021 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships gets underway Wednesday with the men and goes through Saturday with the women’s final day.