Coaches: Jake Holloway (head coach), Hannah Batchelor (distance), Andrew Guevara (hurdles), Gabe Pasillas (throws), Elsa Wagner (sprints & jumps), Ricky Holloway (sprints & throws) 

Top Returners (boys): Aaron Green (12), Josef Hudak (11), Chris Kim (11), Travis Mccovery (11), Charlie Munoz (10), Ronin Nguyen (12), Jake Sexton (12), Joshua Stewart (12), Elias Vorathavorn (12)

Top Returners (girls): Noelani Canotal (12), AJ Dorris (12), Kaila Ego (11), Mia Gonzales (12), Abby Paguyo (10), Noehlia Reuter (12), Madelyn Sooter (11)

Top Newcomers (boys): Hunter Barnhardt (10), Luke Emory (9), Emmitt Lopez (9), Ethan Tso (9)

Top Newcomers (girls): Kairi Nguyen (9), Natalie Sooter (9), Katelyn Stochlia (9)

Last Season: The boys finished fourth in the North Hills League. The Lady Lancers won their first league title in 19 years under the newly formed Century Conference in the North Hills League. 

Outlook: Within the Century Conference, each sport is broken up into three tiers, and while teams were in the North Hills leagues last year, Holloway said the girls team moved up to the middle tier, also known as the Freeway League. 

This year, Wagner and Pasillas joined as coaches for the throws event group and the sprints & jumps event groups, respectively, and Holloway said he expects positive outcomes for both teams.

“Our goals have not changed as we still aim to win the league title for both Boys & Girls,” said Holloway, who said he hopes for a few league champions that qualify for CIF-SS. “We will probably have to make some adjustments on the relay teams and get people comfortable with new events, but the goals from preseason, [to win a league championship], still remain.”

The head coach said all the top returners are valuable contributors to the team and that he looks forward to the results they will bring. 

“All those girls were really instrumental in us winning the league title last year,” Holloway said. “So they’re coming back, and they’re the ones who I’m looking to kind of lead the charge for the girls again this year.”

While the team doesn’t set team captains, athletes are put into event groups and general leaders are selected based on the number of years in the program, attendance, attitude and behavior, Holloway said. 

Sooter said one of her highlights of the season was breaking the school’s 100-meter record by reaching a time of 12.30 during a meet against Sonora High School in April 2025, before the league finals.

Sooter, who was last year’s girls leader, said she hopes to keep improving throughout the season and to break more records. She competes in the 100-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter, 4-by-100-meter, 4-by-400-meter and the high jump.

“For this season, I hope to improve individually by getting back to my marks and being more consistent and confident in my ability to achieve and surpass them,” Sooter said. “In addition to this, I hope to grow as a leader and bring others on my team to succeed in their events as well through encouragement, support and guidance.”

Green, who runs the second leg of the 4-by-100-meter relay, said he hopes to earn more medals and break the school record in his relay event, as the team got close last year.

“We’ve been preparing by focusing on running form with our drills, working hard in the weight room to get stronger, and practicing at Buena Park’s track to test out our skills and get experience running with spikes,” Green said. 

The new league also brings new faces into the competition, but Holloway said he believes that the team is ready despite the additional challenge. 

“I’m expecting tougher competition for sure; I’m not too familiar with Esperanza and Crean Lutheran, so those will be newer experiences,” the head coach said. “I’m somewhat familiar with Brea, but I know they have a good program, and they actually dropped down from the highest league, so they’re probably top-ranked.”

Holloway said some students who are in winter sports are contributing to the track and field spring season, and while they need practice to catch up, he said he expects them to be ready by the league preliminaries on Friday, April 24.

Sooter said she doesn’t practice with the team throughout the year as she participates in three other sports, but prepares for her various races in her own time by training and watching past videos of her racing events.

Holloway said he expects Troy High School (girls 1-3 / boys 0-4) and Brea High School (girls 0-3-1 / boys 0-4) to be the team’s top rivals after the teams moved up a league, but he is still expecting the teams to improve and pick up a couple of wins.

Ego, who competes in hurdles, said she enjoys competing against Troy High School the most.

“I have lots of hurdle friends there that also keep me on my feet in competition,” Ego said. “When I run, I’m not just running for my own goals but for my team and everyone who represents Sunny Hills.”

The sprints, jumps and hurdles event group teams meet five times a week, with one to two days spent in sixth-period study hall and the other three to four days split between campus and Buena Park for practice. 

Tso, who recently joined the jumps event group and competes in long jump and triple jump, said he’s looking forward to competing more and plans to work on his landing technique.

“There’s a specific way you’re supposed to land so that you maximize your distance in the sand, so I need to work on that,” Tso said. “I think my main goal for the long jump is jumping above 20 feet; I haven’t gotten close yet, but it’s good to set high goals.”

For throws, athletes stay on campus and practice three to four days a week, and those in the distance event group practice six days a week, mostly on campus and sometimes on Saturdays off-campus, Holloway said. 

“It’s always a little interesting here with us not having a track, so we have to be very creative and flexible and diligent and going to Buena Park as much as we can to utilize their track,” Holloway said.  

The head coach also said the team chemistry has been looking good.

“I think we’re the only Track & Field team that gives out handshakes during warm-ups,” he said. “We try to keep the atmosphere enjoyable but focused.”

Ego said she has been preparing by doing recovery activities like icing and rolling, so she can remain in the best condition possible when she competes. She said her motivation for maintaining her health extends beyond her individual performance.

“Wearing the Sunny Hills uniform means representing Sunny Hills High School with pride and giving my best effort every time I compete,” the junior said. “It reminds me that I’m part of something bigger than myself, and that when I run, I’m not just running for my own goals but for my team and everyone who represents Sunny Hills.”  

Holloway said that if he could describe the team in one word, it would be “potential.”

“I ask for the same things from everybody, right off the bat through the end of the year, and that is to attend practice, follow directions and to give your best effort,” Holloway said. 

The track and field teams will compete in their first league meet on Thursday, March 5, at 3 p.m. at Buena Park High School stadium against Esperanza High School.