As women complete their introduction to the pole vault with its debut in this year's Division III indoor and outdoor track and field championships, they soon will embark on competing in another formerly all-men's event.

Both the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet and the Division II Championships Committee have approved the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase as an event, beginning with the 2001 outdoor championships. The steeplechase has been contested in the Division I men's championships every year since 1959 and in all of the Divisions II and III men's championships.

In Division I, the women's steeplechase will replace the women's 3,000-meter run. In Division II, however, the event was approved as an addition, not as a replacement.

"The Division II track and field subcommittee did not want to take away anyone's opportunity to compete in the 3,000-meter run," said John Cochrane, NCAA assistant director of championships and staff liaison to the subcommittee. "Obviously, the group is pleased that the Championships Committee agreed with its request."

If, and when, women in Division III will see the steeplechase on their championships schedule of events is a matter yet to be decided. The Division III Championships Committee tabled a vote on the issue at its first meeting after receiving a recommendation from the Division III track and field subcommittee to add the event, beginning in 2002.

The Championships Committee addressed the recommendation again at its January 2000 meeting. This time, it referred the proposal back to the track and field subcommittee and requested additional information for its September 2000 gathering.

Cost factor

A major reason for Division III's continued study into the women's steeplechase involves the adjustments that will be necessary to the height of the hurdles and to the length of the water jump from those at which the men compete. To make the changes could involve a significant cost that the Division III Championships Committee is unsure it wants to impose on institutions.

The hurdles for the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase are 3 feet high. Both the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and USA Track and Field (USATF), the international and national governing bodies for the sport, respectively, have approved the height for the women's steeplechase as 2 feet, 6 inches.

Manufacturers have been producing steeplechase hurdles that can be adjusted up and down for approximately two to three years. Consequently, any institution that purchased hurdles before that will need to begin its preparation for the women's steeplechase by either buying a set of four adjustable hurdles or possibly having its existing hurdles refitted. The price tag for a new set of hurdles ranges from just less than $4,000 to nearly $6,000, while refitting is estimated to cost $300 per hurdle.

Adjusting the length of the water jump is a much more complicated endeavor. The water jump for the men's event is 3.66 meters long. For the women's race, the IAAF calls for a length of 3.06 meters and USATF prefers that length as well.

In its 2000 Competition Rules, the USATF indicates: "The reduction in the length of the water jump ... may be accomplished either by moving the hurdle forward and placing a suitable platform over the water left exposed or by placing an appropriate insert into the water. In either case, the effect of the reduction will be to reduce the maximum depth of the water."

Moving the hurdle forward so that it hangs over the water presents a problem, of course. One manufacturer has developed an adjustable hurdle that is bolted at its base to a steel plate, which in turn is secured to the concrete wall of the water jump. Steel plates are placed at the proper positions for both the men's and women's events, and the hurdle can be prepared for the next race by simply loosening the bolts at one plate with a wrench, moving the hurdle to the other spot, and tightening the bolts once again.

According to the manufacturer, this arrangement, which carries a price tag of approximately $1,500, should work for existing water jumps unless the concrete walls of the jump are fewer than 8 inches thick. The 8-inch figure exists because that is the width of the steel plates that must be anchored to the walls.

Another option involves a sleeve-type arrangement, in which two sets of holes would be drilled into the concrete walls, one for the men's position and one for the women's. The hurdle would then be dropped into the appropriate holes for each race.

Institutions may incur additional expense in adapting their current water jump cover or purchasing a new one so that the 60 centimeters in length left exposed when the hurdle is moved for the women is sealed.

No alterations

The adjustments for NCAA women's steeplechase events are not listed in the 2000 NCAA Track and Field/Cross Country Rules. However, institutions should not be concerned that the track and field committee will alter them from those already adopted by the IAAF and USATF.

"At the time of the last track and field committee meeting (June 1999), none of the championships committees had approved the event," said Margaret Simmons, assistant director of athletics at Murray State University and secretary-rules editor of the NCAA Men's and Women's Track and Field Committee. "Consequently, the committee decided that it would not be prudent to include rules for an event that may never be contested.

"The committee will discuss all options, but I do not know of a reason why we would do anything different from what the IAAF and USATF have done."

With a potential price tag of at least $5,000 if new hurdles need to be purchased and approximately $3,000 if existing ones can be refitted, Cochrane understands that all Division II institutions may not be able to have their facilities ready for the women's steeplechase at its inception. Nonetheless, he believes that adding the event in 2001 was the correct decision.

"Naturally, any institution wishing to host the championships must have hurdles that are the correct height and the proper water-jump configuration," Cochrane said. "Otherwise, Division II schools have the option of bringing their facilities into compliance whenever it is physically and fiscally possible.

"The track and field committee felt strongly that Division II women should be able to compete in the event as quickly as possible. Even if a large percentage of Division II facilities are not ready for the women's steeplechase by 2001, most teams compete in meets at Division I institutions during the regular season and can take advantage of those opportunities to qualify for the championships."

What will Division III's final decision be? A member of the Division III Championships Committee is hopeful the steeplechase will become a part of the championships, but emphasized that the committee wants as much information as possible at its disposal before rendering its verdict.

"The committee is trying to be thorough in determining the costs institutions can expect to pay to include this event in their programs," said Timothy Hale, associate athletics director at the University of Rochester and a former member of the NCAA Track and Field Committee. "I think most schools would choose the route of having the steel plates anchored into the concrete, rather than drill holes or put in an entire new water jump.

"Ultimately, I believe the women's steeplechase will be contested in Division III."