As the spring track and field season gets underway, Orange Lutheran is ready to compete at a high level in the chase for Trinity League and CIF titles.
 
OLu is fielding approximately 100 athletes this year, and will be a team that is younger, but one with a significant amount of talent. The Lancers just wrapped up the winter season and saw 12 student athletes advance the California Track & Field Winter Championships.
 
"We're young, but we're pretty talented," says OLu track and field head coach Kevin Gillian. "We're looking to try to get as many kids to qualify for varsity league finals, first and foremost. That's what our season goal is."
 
The coaching staff will be expecting strong senior class leadership from Calista Aldrige, Cameron Krueger and Francisco Lozano. Juniors Isabel Adams and Reyna Reed will also bring valuable experience and depth to the team.
 
On the distance side, Krueger, Lozano and his sophomore brother Dean Lozano, along with junior Sarabella Stakley, were all Winter Championship qualifiers.
 
In the field events, senior thrower Landon Mills and senior pole vaulter Nicholas Ling are both expected to make a deep postseason run. Sprinters from the boys team looking to set records this season in both individual events and relays include senior AJ Campbell and sophomores Nico Bland and Jae Nembhard.
 
On the girls squad, OLu will have several strong hurdlers, including junior Joey Birkbeck, who is the defending Trinity League champion in the 100m hurdle event. Birkbeck will be joined by sophomore Keylee Baker and freshman Taylor Brinker. And Gillian sees a strong 4 x 400 relay team on the girls side with Adams, Aldrige, Stakley and sophomore Luca Lyght.
 
Some of the key meets this spring for the Lancers include Orange County Championships (March 29), Arcadia Invitational (April 11) and Mt. SAC Relays (April 18 – 19). Trinity League competition begins on March 20 and league finals will be held on May 2.
 
OLu will get the season started on February 22 at the Eagle Invitational hosted by Santa Margarita. Gillian and his coaching staff are confident that the Lancers will qualify for a number of events in the CIF-SS Division 3 postseason meets.
 
"We're bringing back a lot of skill and adding some talented freshmen," says Gillian. "With this group, even though we're young, I think we can score in a lot more events and a lot more categories this year…Every year we're getting better."