By Jacob Balatico

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The Trojan Pentathlon is a large practice test, open only to MHS students, designed to see what events each athlete can do during the track season.  Out of the 80 athletes that participated in the Pentathlon, Juniors Brittany McClay and Khalil Stevens gave it their all and were named the top two of the Pentathlon.

The Pentathlon has been used as training for competitions since 1990.  It consists of five different events, the-100 meter dash, 400-meter dash, shot put, high jump and long jump, which are done within the course of two days before the track season starts.  “(Running the Pentathlon is) just a personal achievement,” said coach Dane Matsunaga.

The athletes that participate in the Pentathlon use it as a performance guide for the track season.  “Basically after, they get to see where they stand compared to their teammates.  But regardless where they stand the important thing is to see how much they can improve from now until the end of the season.  That’s the goal,” stated Matsunaga.

“I think I mostly gained diversity (in events) from the pentathlon,” Stevens said, “Before it, I mainly focused on a few events and it helped me realize I was capable of doing more events.  McClay added, “I tried events I wouldn’t normally do and I had fun doing them.  The most challenging event for me was the high jump.  It’s definitely something I’ve got to work on if I want to get any good at it.”

Both athletes will continue to work hard throughout the track season and improve their skills.