Track and field consists of sprints, distance running and field events. With such variety, it can be hard for a school to be elite in all three categories, but a handful of programs have formed elite trios of athletes in each category in 2023. Here are the top nine sprint-distance-field trios in NCAA track and field:
For this article, mid-distance events are included in the distance category
Alabama men
Tarsis Orogot (sprints), Victor Kiprop (distance), Bobby Colantonio (field)
Alabama kicks off the men's trios. Tarsis Orogot ran 10.07 (+3.2) in the 100 meters and ran a leg on a sub-three minute 4x400 meter relay at Texas Relays. Meanwhile, Victor Kiprop owns the second-fastest 10,000-meter time nationally. In the field events, Bobby Colantonio hasn't made his outdoor debut this season, but when he does he'll likely be in his All-American form of the past few years.
Arkansas men
Christopher Bailey (sprints), Patrick Kiprop (distance), Carey McLeod (field)
Arkansas won the DI indoor championship behind a deep roster. Christopher Bailey and Patrick Kiprop are the best sprinter and distance runner on the Razorback team, but picking the top field athlete to close out the trio is more difficult than it may seem.
The Razorbacks are loaded in field events with jumpers like Wayne Pinnock and Jaydon Hibbert and throwers like Jordan West and Ralford Mullings. You can even throw in decathlete Ayden Owens-Delerme here too. However, my choice for the trio is Carey McLeod because he competes in two events, the triple jump and the long jump, winning the indoor title in the latter.
👀: 5 must-watch outdoor track and field meets to pay attention to in 2023
Arkansas women
Britton Wilson (sprints), Lauren Gregory (distance), Amanda Fassold (field)
Britton Wilson and Amanda Fassold are two 2023 indoor individual event champions that helped lead Arkansas to the team title. Neither has missed a beat as the outdoor season enters April, and both would combine to make arguably the best duo in women's track and field. To make an elite trio, distance runner Lauren Gregory adds her versatility to run distances from 1500 to 10,000 meters.
RANKINGS: Check out the latest men's and women's track and field rankings
Florida women
Talitha Diggs (sprints), Imogen Barrett (distance), Jasmine Moore (field)
The picks for Florida's sprint and field athletes are easy with Talitha Diggs and Jasmine Moore, respectively, both coming off stellar indoor campaigns. Imogen Barrett represents the Gator distance runners with top-11 times in the 800 and 1500 meters entering April. Barrett gets the nod over star distance runner Parker Valby because Valby hasn't run since February.
WATCH LIST: The 2023 Bowerman watch list for men's and women's NCAA track and field
Georgia men
Matthew Boling (sprints), Will Sumner (distance), Kyle Garland (field)
For sprints, I could've gone Matthew Boling or Elija Godwin here; it really is a toss-up. Boling got the nod because of his flexibility from the 100 meters to the 4x4. Meanwhile, 800-meter specialist Will Sumner holds it down in the distance category as one of the top freshmen in the country. Decathlete Kyle Garland takes the field spot ahead of javelin thrower Marc Minchello since Garland has been a Bulldog longer and competes in a multitude of field events.
LSU women
Alia Armstrong (sprints), Michaela Rose (distance), Morgan Smalls (field)
There's no wrong pick for the sprint category for LSU, but I went with Alia Armstrong over Favour Ofili here because Armstrong has an NCAA title to her name. Michaela Rose emerged as one of the top 800-meter runners in the country during the indoor season and will likely remain near the top when she takes the track outdoors. Morgan Smalls jumped 1.79 meters at Texas Relays in the high jump and hasn't yet long jumped outdoors. If and when she does, Smalls will try to reach and surpass her sixth-place finish in the event at last year's championships.
BIG NAMES: 41 names you should know during the 2023 women’s outdoor track season
Minnesota men
Kion Benjamin (sprints), Matthew Wilkinson (distance), Kostas Zaltos (field)
The trio of Kion Benjamin, Matthew Wilkinson and Kostas Zaltos helped lead Minnesota to its first No. 1 ranking in program history. Entering April, all three remain in the top 10 nationally with their marks, bringing newfound success to the Gophers.
MORE: Elite outdoor track and field performances tease an April primed for more broken records
South Carolina men
Evan Miller (sprints), Anass Essayi (distance), Dylan Targgart (field)
Entering April, Evan Miller has the second-fastest 400-meter time and Dylan Targgart has the third-farthest shot put throw. Texas Tech is the only other school with a top-three sprinter and field athlete, but the Red Raiders don't have a distance athlete comparable to Anass Essayi. While Essayi has yet to take the track during the outdoor season, he proved he was one of the best distance runners in the country during the indoor season after a third-place finish in the mile.
CHAMPIONSHIP INFO: Everything you need to know for the 2023 outdoor DI track and field championships
Texas women
Julien Alfred (sprints), Valery Tobias (distance), Ackelia Smith (field)
Julien Alfred is the sprint queen entering the 2023 outdoor season after winning the 60 and 200-meter indoor titles. She's led off a collegiate-record-setting relay three times during the outdoor season. Joining Alfred in the trio are Valery Tobias and Ackelia Smith. Tobias has the second-fastest 800-meter time and Smith has the second-farthest long and triple jumps entering April. This is a championship-contending trio in every aspect.
🏆: Arkansas sweeps 2023 indoor titles | Florida sweeps 2022 outdoor titles | How the outdoor championships work
💥HISTORY: Programs with the most titles | Men's champ history | Women's champ history | Bowerman history
🧠 WHAT TO KNOW: Wind and scoring explained | Greatest venues | Best uniforms | The difference between indoor and outdoor seasons
🥇 Tokyo Olympians: Karel Tiga | JuVaughn Harrison | Cole Hocker | Camryn Rogers | Ruth Usoro | Athing Mu | Tara Davis | Tyra Gittens
