Ethan Wilkins has been a jack of all trades in track and field competitions since his coming to Iowa State from Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tenn.

Wilkins, currently in his final season as a Cyclone, has started off the outdoor season with a winning mentality. Wilkins finished first at the Cal Multis in four of the 10 decathlon events, winning the 110-meter hurdles, the pole vault, high jump and long jump.

“I didn’t compete in the decathlon in high school; I started decathlons when I came to college,” Wilkins said.

During the indoor season, athletes compete in the heptathlon, which is made up of seven events. In the outdoor season, the athletes compete in the decathlon, which is made up of 10 events.

Performance in the decathlon and heptathlon is judged on a points system in each event, points are not determined by position achieved, but rather by individual performance. Combining scores from all events determines who is the winner of the entire competition.

Decathlon events run on a strict schedule: Day one consists of the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400-meter dash and day two consists of the 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1,500-meter run.

Heptathlons also take place during a two-day span and include the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run.

Competing in the decathlon and heptathlon is often an interesting event, where some athletes are much more talented in running events than throwing and jumping events or vice versa.

Wilkins, who tailors his strategy more around jumps and sprints, knows how important it is to win the events in which he competes best in.

“I’d say the hurdles, high jump and long jump are my strengths,” Wilkins said. “It’s important to perform well in those events.”

Pete Herber, the jumps and multi-event specialist coach at Iowa State, has coached Wilkins during his time at Iowa State. Wilkins has achieved All-Big 12 honors under Herber, and the coach hopes he will improve from his fifth-place finish at the 2012 Big 12 Outdoor Championships.

“Ethan’s just been a really good kid for us and a very good leader for the multi-event group,” Herber said. “Going into the Big 12s, we expect him to get on the stand and score some points for us.”

Junior college is what initially brought Wilkins to the state, as he competed for Iowa Central Community College before transferring to Iowa State in 2011. Wilkins won the NJCAA title in the heptathlon in 2011 and was runner-up in the NJCAA in the decathlon in 2010.

A fourth-place finish in the heptathlon at the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships in Ames shows that Wilkins has improved in all areas of his training.

“I’m just trying to stay fit, healthy, eating right and really working to improve my form,” Wilkins said.

Wilkins is aiming to lead the Cyclones in the decathlon at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships looming in early May in Waco, Texas.

Teammate Matt Harmeyer believes the decathlon group will perform well.

“For the most part, we’re a group of guys that bring a lot of talents to the table,” Harmeyer said. “I think we really feed off each other and we really work together.”