At 6-foot-5, junior sprinter Kyle Jefferson is one of the tallest members of the Wisconsin men’s track and field squad. That size, along with Jefferson’s speed, is part of the reason Jefferson is also a two-year letter winner for the UW football team.

Jefferson, a Cleveland native, splits his time between the football field, classroom and track. The varsity athlete is navigating the challenges of not just one Division I varsity sport, but two. According to men’s track head coach Ed Nuttycombe, the challenge is one he’s seen many athletes tackle over the years.

“I’ve had a lot of dual sport athletes,” Nuttycombe said. “(But) Kyle makes it easy.”

After what could be considered a less than successful season for Jefferson on the gridiron in 2009, Nuttycombe said Jefferson has had a breakthrough [track] season this year. He respects Jefferson’s enthusiasm for practice.

Over the weekend, Jefferson finished fifth in the 200m at the Big Ten Indoor Championship in Minneapolis. He also anchored the third-place finish by Wisconsin’s 4x400m relay team.

“He’s way ahead of where he was a year ago,” assistant coach Mark Guthrie, who works daily with Jefferson at practice, said. “This year he ran the full indoor season with us. He scored in the open 200 and anchored our 4×4 to third.”

At the Indoor Championship, Jefferson ran the 200m in 21.82 seconds, just .25 seconds behind the first place finisher. Based on the makeup of the indoor track, Jefferson noted his size makes the result even more impressive.

“I feel pretty good knowing that I’m a lot of legs running on a pretty tight track,” Jefferson said regarding the indoor season and his fifth place finish in the 200m.

He added his finish was not only a big accomplishment for himself but also for his team.

Jefferson said he looks forward to the outdoor season. The shorter indoor track means tighter turns, and Jefferson said he is not able to open up as he would on an outdoor track with his long legs and 6-foot-5 frame. Both his coaches agree the indoor track presents a challenge for the long-limbed sprinter.

Before he was a sprinter, Jefferson spent his first athletic season as a wide receiver for the football team. Jefferson has seen his playing time on the football field diminish with each season.

In 2007, his freshman year, Jefferson played in 13 games, starting six. That year, Jefferson recorded the highest statistics of his career thus far: 26 receptions, averaging 15.8 yards per reception and 2 touchdowns. In the 2009 season, Jefferson played in nine games and had four receptions on the season.

Jefferson has never worried about the lack of playing time however.

“I never put my head down because I’m a team person,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson was not only a football letter winner and captain in high school but a track star as well.

In addition to his track team winning four straight Ohio Division 1 state titles, Jefferson was also a four-time individual state champion. His senior year, he won the 400m state title and anchored his high school’s 4×200 relay team in their title-winning race.

As a junior, Jefferson won state titles as part of both the 4×200 and 4×400 relays.

Jefferson came to UW on a football scholarship but knew he was interested in continuing to compete in track, as well, because of his previous success.

“Kyle came out of high school as one of the top 400m runners in the country,” Guthrie said.

However, his first track season started on the heels of a concussion he’d received in football. Jefferson said he was also trying to add weight for football at the same time, something that has been difficult for him to do over his three years at UW.

For those reasons, Guthrie said Jefferson wasn’t able to do as much as they would have liked his freshman year.

In the following track seasons, Jefferson has improved and competed more. Guthrie noted Jefferson began running in relays his sophomore year.

“Track keeps me motivated,” Jefferson said. “It keeps my spirits up, especially when things are going wrong in football.”

Jefferson is looking to stay competitive and play his senior year on the football field. His primary goal for his final season is to help the Badgers return to the Rose Bowl or perhaps reach the national championship game.

“I really don’t focus on how many catches I want,” Jefferson said, reflecting his team-first spirit. “Catches will come, yards will come and touchdowns will come.”

Nuttycombe said this time of year it can be difficult to manage football and track.

Football is doing a lot of hard, heavy training, he said, while track requires a high quality of running. He added the training season’s flip-flop, as track does its heavy training in the fall. Jefferson said balancing football, track and school is tough, but he sticks with it.

Jefferson will run this weekend with the opportunity to continue to nationals. Jefferson will also practice with the football team in preparation for the spring game.

After the game, he will return to track practice.

“Quite honestly, I think the track helps the football,” Nuttycombe said. “They work well together.”