After placing third in the Pacific Coast League last season, Northwood’s team is carrying the same energy into this year. In honor of their first competition on Feb. 24, here is a breakdown of the 16 events the track and field team will compete in.

Sprint and relay

Consisting of the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes along with the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relays, this event emphasizes short bursts of energy. Relay is expected to excel following last year’s successful season, where the varsity boys relay team broke school records in the 4×100 and 4×400.

“Sprints are always super competitive,” senior Dheer Patel said. “I like the rush of adrenaline that comes with it.”

Distance

With the largest team in Northwood’s track and field, distance events include the 800, 1600 and 3200-meter races. Distance running involves more strategy as runners must maintain their stamina and pacing throughout.

“It takes a lot of energy and control over your mental state to keep running,” sophomore Benjamin Pham said.

Hurdles

Hurdling has two events: the 100 (girls) or 110-meter (boys) along with the 300-meter hurdles, where athletes are required to jump over a series of hurdles.

“For hurdles, you need to be a good sprinter and also be flexible,” senior Zelal Kucukkaya said.

Throws

The throwing events consist of the shot put and the discus throw, where weights of different shapes are thrown over a distance.

“I’ve had people in the past who have asked me if you need to be really strong or muscular to join throws, and my answer is no,” junior Daniel Galisteo said.

Jumps

Jumping events include the long jump and triple jump, where athletes jump as far as possible, and the pole vault and the high jump, where athletes jump as high as possible.