Allison Giles (12), Will Lacy(12) and Carolina Baldovinos Miranda (12) were all elected as captains for the 2025 season. In years prior to 2024, the track team would only have four captains in total: two boys and two girls, but this year, Coach Lewis, along with Assistant Coaches Zach Johnson and Sierra Beilby, elected to have six captains for the different events that track and field has to offer.
“I really like the track team this year,” Lacy (12) said. “I believe there’s a lot of potential within the team, and I believe we can win a lot of meets.”
For the jumping/sprinting events, the Le siblings have been tasked to lead the way. This year’s team lacks sprinters as compared to years past, and even fewer jumpers, but even though the team lost a graduating senior jumper, II M’aime Ntambwe, who made a state appearance last year, it doesn’t mean the team is discouraged. As a matter of fact, the Hylanders have a new wave of jumpers coming in, including co-captain Danchau Le, who was the only other athlete who made state last year. Multiple PRs later from various competitors, with Danchau Le even breaking the school’s girls’ long jump record!
Moving on to the long-distance runners led by Abebaw (who was milliseconds away from making state in cross country this past fall) and Giles, who was a part of the 4×8 girls’ team that almost broke the school record last year. This is one of the biggest groups on the track and field team, with events consisting of the 800m, 1600m, 3200m, and the 4×8 relay. The distance runners have always been consistent in getting their points, and that continues this season, especially with Norbu Llama and Eduardo Hernadez Monroy with plenty of years ahead of them..
One final group who have remained underrated and underestimated are the throwers, anchored by Lacy, who placed third at sections last year, and Baldovinos Miranda, who is consistently getting the team points. Columbia Heights is a breeding ground for amazing throwers, and this year has seen great promise in not only the aforementioned seniors but also Xavier Vincent Vital Schwartz. The throwing events consist of the shot put and discus. Overall, the throwers have always found a way to dominate throughout the years.
As for team goals, the team hopes to win the conference championship and send more athletes to State than last year. In particular, the team had two jumpers who qualified for state in 2024, but this year the team hopes to double it. More importantly, the team hopes to build a culture of cheering each other on and supporting one another. In previous years, the team chemistry had died down, but this year, the team hopes to view each other as family.
“What I think is unique about track is that there is something for everyone, no matter your ability level, body type, or goals,” Beilby said. “Our team this year has the ability to excel due to our variety of athletes.”
Even with the smaller team this year, the team hopes to continue to build chemistry, reach new heights (both literally and figuratively) and—perhaps most importantly—to view the team’s size not as a weakness but, rather, a strength.
