Now that winter has passed, spring is here, and so is the beginning of the new outdoor track season. Last indoor season, several athletes qualified for state competitions, and two relay teams advanced to the New England Championships. The success continued as one girls’ relay team and three throwers qualified for the Nike Nationals meet in New York City.
This season, several star athletes return to the track. On the girls’ side, Hayden Lugar, Ezrie Zahanly, Bella Ridge, Grace Arujo, and Lilah Fortier stand out, while on the boys’ side, there’s Reed Fortier, Finley Stebenne, Julian Paroyian, and Noah Rand. The team will also look for strong performances from newcomers Enoch Payne and Abdullah Kouraj, who ran for the indoor track team and will continue this spring.
“I think this season is going to be a season that the Lions make some noise,” track coach Michael Meehan said. “We have a pretty young team with strong junior and freshman classes. Lincoln is on the rise!”
Junior Bella Ridge also anticipates that this season will be like no other.
“I expect this season to have a great outcome,” Ridge said. “There are so many talented people coming back for outdoor, and Coach Meehan has already made a tremendous impact, as shown in the results from the indoor track season.”
This spring, the Lions aim to compete at both the divisional and class levels, with a goal of finishing in the top three.
“We have a pretty well-rounded team with mid-distance, jumping, and throws,” Meehan said. “I think we can score some solid points during championship season. On the state level, we want to qualify as many Lions as possible for the state meet on June 6.”
Lincoln faces tough competitors such as Cumberland’s Noah Rivas, who ran the 100m in 11.14 seconds, and St. Raphael’s Matt Fontaine, who ran the 300m in 36.34 seconds. These schools may stand in the way of the team’s victory, but Meehan believes the Lions are more than capable of winning races.
“We have a great group of kids that are improving every day, and that is all any coach can ask for,” he said. “I want to start hanging some team banners in the gym at LHS, and hard work can accomplish that!”
