Although she spent many years playing soccer, Orange Lutheran senior Amelia Trautman has always loved running. After watching sprinters compete on TV, she decided to try running her freshman year.

 

That spring season was cut short due to Covid, but she stuck with it, training for track alongside playing soccer for the Lancers. Trautman is now concentrating strictly on track and has been making a name for herself in the sport.

 

“The few meets I had (my freshman year) were so much fun,” says Trautman. “I was like, I can't believe this is a sport. It’s so fun. All the while, I was doing soccer too. It wasn't until this year when I realized that track is what I wanted to focus on.”

 

The four-year varsity runner competes mainly in sprint events for the Lancers, including the 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter races, as well as the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Her specialty is the 400m, an event where she currently holds a top five time in the Trinity League. And she has the most fun when she can run that distance in a relay with her teammates.

 

“People think I'm crazy, but it's just so much fun to run the 400,” says Trautman. “I think it's what I'm best at…and when it's a relay, it's really fun. It has that team energy.”

 

Trautman will be attending UCI next year after being recruited to join their roster as a 400m runner. But she is also exploring competing in multi-events for the Anteaters, such as the pentathlon or the heptathlon. Her goals for her senior season include finishing off with strong 400m times, helping the girls team earn a CIF Finals berth in the relays and serving her younger teammates as a captain and a leader.

 

“OLu has been good to Amelia, and she’s been good for OLu,” says OLu head track and field coach Kevin Gillian. “If I had 20 athletes like her, we’d be state champs every year. She’s on fire for the Lord, and she regularly shares verses with me. She’s a natural leader who truly cares about others’ wellbeing. UCI is lucky to get her.”

 

Trautman has been an athlete for a number of years across several sports, including club teams, but representing OLu as a Lancer provides a unique opportunity for her to combine her love for competition with her faith.

 

“The main reason I run, and the main reason I do anything, is to glorify God,” says Trautman. “And I think it's really cool to be able to be at a school that also supports that. That’s what we're about, and I think it's really special to have that.”

 

Adjusting to an individual sport like track has been challenging at times for Trautman, as the training is difficult and demanding. She admits it can be easy to get in her head at meets, but she’s learned to trust God and trust her training each time she steps on the line.

 

“It’s taught me to know how to hold on to my values, hold on to God and stay focused, even in moments of high pressure when it's all on you,” says Trautman. “It's helped me to be brave, grow my confidence and be able to face those scary moments knowing that I can get through it.”

 

In addition to running at the next level, Trautman plans to study game design at UCI. Since attending OLu, and seeing the example set by her parents, the 17-year old feels her faith has developed significantly and her growth has shifted her perspective.

 

“When I decided to have God at the center and started putting him first, it changed everything in my life,” says Trautman “I'm doing this for him, and I'm doing this to show others his love. And so it shifts everything, because everything we have is a gift.”