Predictors of High-Intensity Running Capacity in Collegiate Women During a Soccer Game

McCormack, WP, Stout, JR, Wells, AJ, Gonzalez, AM, Mangine, GT, Fragala, MS, and Hoffman, JR. Predictors of high-intensity running capacity in collegiate women during a soccer game. J Strength Cond Res 28(4): 964-970, 2014-The purpose of this investigation was to determine which physiological assessments best predicted high-intensity running (HIR) performance during a women\u27s collegiate soccer game. A secondary purpose was to examine the relationships among physiological performance measures including muscle architecture on soccer performance (distance covered, HIR, and sprints during the game) during a competitive collegiate women\u27s soccer game. Ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women soccer players performed physiological assessments within a 2-week period before a competitive regulation soccer game performed during the spring season. Testing consisted of height, body mass, ultrasound measurement of dominant (DOMleg), and nondominant leg (NDOMleg) vastus lateralis for muscle thickness (MT) and pennation angle (PA), V ̇o(2)max, running economy, and Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) for peak power (PP), mean power (MP), and fatigue rate (FR). During the game, distance run, HIR, and sprints were measured using a 10-Hz global positioning system. Stepwise regression revealed that V ̇o(2)max, dominant leg thickness, and dominant leg PA were the strongest predictors of HIR distance during the game (R = 0.989, SEE = 115.5 m, p = 0.001). V ̇o(2)max was significantly correlated with total distance run (r = 0.831; p = 0.003), HIR (r = 0.755; p = 0.012), WAnTPP (r = -0.737; p = 0.015), WAnTPP center dot kg(-1) (r = -0.706; p = 0.022), and WAnTFR (r = -0.713; p = 0.021). DOMlegMT was significantly correlated with WAnTFR (r = 0.893; p = 0.001). DOMlegPA was significantly correlated with WAnTFR (r = 0.740; p = 0.023). The NDOMlegPA was significantly correlated to peak running velocity (r = 0.781; p = 0.013) and WAnT MP center dot kg(-1) (r = 0.801; p = 0.01). Results of this study indicate that V ̇o(2)max and muscle architecture are important characteristics of NCAA Division I women soccer players and may predict HIR distance during a competitive contest