After graduating a large group of seniors last spring and welcoming a new coaching staff, this year’s track and field team is entering the season with both excitement and determination. For the girls’ team, this transition means new roles and opportunities for this years’ runners. Sadie Stokes, ‘26, believes that the team is ready for the challenge. “The team is definitely hoping to do even better as our athletes have gotten stronger,” she says. After training all offseason, the team is looking forward to building on their momentum from last year.

Heading into the season, the team’s biggest strength seems to be their camaraderie.  “The long distance events often require working together in a pack which is definitely a strength of both the girls and guys,” Stokes explained. As a whole, the track program prides itself on being more than just a collection of athletes, but a strong and supportive team. 

Emilia Smouse, ‘26, echoed that sentiment. “My team’s biggest strength heading into the season is our energy and love for each other,” she said. The team’s supportive environment has translated to tangible success. Last year, the team won the Rocky Mountain League Championship. Rather than settling, the athletes are using this achievement as motivation to raise the bar even higher this spring.

On the boys’ team this year, expectations are just as high. Lucas Wik, ‘26, shared the team’s objective: “The main goal for us is getting another shot at a title, and to go out with a bang.” While the team lost their best sprinter, Roman Tagliola, who graduated last year, numerous seniors are ready to step up to fill the void. The team is also coming off of an outstanding cross country season in the fall, which fuels their confidence for the spring. 

Wik and Toby Wong, ‘26, led the program in the 800, 1600, and 3200 meter events last year and hope to further improve on their times this year. The two have been training together regularly during the off-season. Their shared commitment reflects the team’s improvement during the offseason. 

Additionally, Andrew Gilbert, ‘26, is another player to watch out for. Gilbert led the team last year in events such as pole vaulting, high jump, and triple jump. Gilbert also had an exceptional season in various hurdle competitions. Gilbert expressed an interest in possibly setting some records: “I’m excited to see what kind of times I can run this year, and there’s a chance I might get close to breaking some school records, which motivates me.” However, Gilbert focused more on team goals than personal ones. 

For the boy’s team, that goal is very clear; it has been nearly 50 years since the boys track and field team has won a league title, and ending the drought is something that the team strives for this season. With a prepared roster stepping up, the team believes that this could be the year they make history.

For both the boys’ and girls’ teams, the program’s pride in being more than a group of athletes, that finds strength in its unity. As Faolan Dougherty, ‘26, put it, “I think this is the best track team that we have had in a long time at Boulder High.”