The Track and Field team has an exciting season ahead, with 10 seniors on the team. The unique part about Track and Field is the variety of the sport. While there are many athletes on the team who are committed to it as a primary sport, a lot of athletes participate as a way to condition for other sports while they aren’t in season. 

After only a couple weeks of preseason, the season is looking promising with talented athletes spanning all grade levels and events. The season officially starts on Feb. 26. Track and Field has a variety of events for all interests and levels of experience. 

Cody Kelley and Cody Wyman are seniors who have been highly dedicated to the sport, and both placed at the Track and Field State Championships last year, as well as the Cross Country state competition this past fall. Kelley has been a strong member of the team for all four years. 

“One of my personal goals for the season coming off an injury just trying to get back into the level of running I was prior to this season, also kind of building up to gear into sort of college running and what that looks like,” Kelley said. He competes in all distance events. 

The team lost a couple strong members from last year, including Lairden Rogge who continued his Track and Field career after high school at Butler University. However, senior Jayson Saucedo has high hopes for this season. “My goals for this season are to be fast, to go to state and to be top 10 at state,” Saucedo said.  

The team also has lots of promising underclassmen as well, including sophomores Yonas Hanson for distance running and Dillon Gates and Karsten Rogge for sprinting. Hanson runs the 300 meter and the 1600 meter, “which are basically the mile and the two mile,” Hanson said. 

Hansen hopes to qualify for state in the 1300. “Going to the meets with all of my friends and getting to compete are my favorite parts of track,” Hanson said. 

With an individual sport like Track and Field, a big part of track is encouraging and bonding with each other. “You don’t compete with them most of the time, especially if you guys are in different events,” Kelley said. “So kind of, you know, getting to know them, being friendly with them outside of the sport. There’s a lot of time that you spend not running so just hanging out with them for sure.”