Track & Field (Boys & Girls)

Crean Lutheran girls and boys track and field teams reaching for high goals

And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 
Ecclesiastes 4:12

Crean Lutheran’s girls and boys track and field athletes will be out to represent the school well and follow their mission to the Lord through the team’s Bible verse. “This verse teaches us the value of teamwork and cooperation when in a competitive environment,” said Coach Robby Cherry.

“We must learn to rely on one another and work together to accomplish our goals. Furthermore, the threefold cord represents our relationship with our teammates held together by our common relationship with the Lord. When Jesus is at the center of our relationships and at the center of our team we will be impossible to break. I hope to continue to put Christ first in everything we do at Crean Lutheran.”

Girls team
The team finished in a tie for second place in the Empire League last year and returns seven of its top nine scorers. The top returning scorers are Kaela Brenner, Leah Ellwein, Taylor Feldman, Julie Koyamatsu, Daelyn Mooney, Kiley O'Rourke, and Marissa Maas. “Kaela holds the school record in the 800m (2:19.90) and Daelyn holds the school record in the 100m (12.63),” Cherry said.

Boys team
The squad is the defending Empire League champion, winning the co-championship. “We graduated many top athletes from last season's team, but we are still returning a strong group of boys who will likely contend for top finishes in our league,” Cherry said. “Joseph Friske is our top returning scorer. His best event last season was the high jump.”

Seniors Michael Vasquez and CJ Koerber are “among the fastest returning distance runners in the league,” Cherry said. Also returning is Jack Fairchild, who according to Cherry, was the top scoring freshman in the Empire League last season.

Crean Lutheran girls track and field team had a bright outlook

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.  Deuteronomy 31:6

Crean Lutheran High school’s girls track and field team had shown tremendous promise in the first two dual meets before spring sports around the state were cancelled.

“Our girls team was maybe one of the strongest all-around teams we have ever had,” said Coach Robby Cherry. “In the short season our girls team set 19 top 10 marks for our program and was on pace to contend for a league title this year. Our top six scorers this season were Leah Ellwein (junior), Kaela Brenner (sophomore), Kylie O’Rourke (senior), Marisa Maas (sophomore), Julie Koyamatsu (senior) and Elsa Ashmon (freshman).

“Leah was undefeated in our league in both hurdle events and Kaela was undefeated in league in the 1,600-meter and 800-meter, both athletes would have had a chance to be league champions in their events. Our girls team also would have had a chance to contend for a top-three finish at CIF finals this season as a team.”

Cherry had some encouraging words for his athletes who saw their seasons shortened.

“Remember to be consistent and put in the work every day,” he said. “On our team we tell a story about a farmer who lifts a cow every day. Remember to lift the cow and be consistent in your work always remembering to trust in the Lord in the process. In time of uncertainty it sometimes feels as though we are powerless, but the truth is that through consistent work and by trusting in the Lord we can experience a lot of growth and improvement. A verse which comes to mind is from Proverbs 3:5-6: ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.’”

Cherry also talked about his seniors:

Julia Bharwani: “First year track athlete as a senior and we wish she could have joined us much sooner. Julia was just discovering her abilities as a distance and middle distance runner as the season prematurely came to an end.”

Megan Diaz: “Megan was one of our top two girls throwers and was a four year veteran on our team. Megan was a natural leader on our team, especially amongst our throwers. Megan had a very good start to her season in the discus event, breaking into the top 10 in our team’s records.” 

Julie Koyamatsu: “Julie is a four year veteran as well for us, specializing in the pole vault and hurdles. Julie tied our school record in the pole vault with a jump of nine feet.”

Jasmine Lopez-Powers: “Jasmine was one of our team’s fastest sprinters and contributed to our 4×100 meter relays as well. Jasmine was always kind and hard working and was showing great improvement this season already.”

Kiley O’Rourke: “Kiley has had a tremendous impact on our team over the past two seasons. Kiley was one of the best 400-meter sprinters in the Empire League and was an outstanding relay runner as well. Kiley competed in CIF finals last season in the 4×400-meter and would have likely returned this year.”

Christina Volz: “One of our top female throwers this year. She managed to be in our top 10 all time in both the shot put and the discus. Christina was just beginning her second season with us and was improving quickly.”

Crean Lutheran boys track and field team sets five top 10 marks

And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 
Ecclesiastes 4:12

Crean Lutheran High School’s boys track and field had some memorable meets before spring sports were cancelled throughout the state, said Coach Robby Cherry.

“The boys team set five top 10 marks on our all-time lists this season,” Cherry said. “The boys team lost to Cypress and Pacifica in our league dual meets, but they competed well, setting at least 49 personal best marks in those two meets.

“The top-scoring athlete for our team this season was Jack Fairchild, a sophomore standout hurdler and jumper. Michael Vasquez, a senior, was our second-highest individual scorer this season and was undefeated in the 800-meters in league competition.

Cherry had a message to the athletes who had their seasons cut short.

“The Lord does amazing things with faithful people in difficult circumstances,” the coach said. “Remember to continue being consistent and making good choices and remember that it is the Lord God who you are performing for. This reminds me of the bible verse from Colossians 3:23, ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters."

Cherry talked about the seniors:

Andrew Deborde: “Andrew was our top thrower of the year. He was well on his way towards 40 feet in the shot put with several throws in the upper 30s already this season. I appreciate Andrew’s quiet competitive demeanor.”

CJ Koerber: “A leader on our team and one of our top boys distance runners. CJ competed well in his final meet of the season, finishing second place in both the 1,600 meter and 3,200 meter in the varsity competition against Pacifica.”

Gabriel Lauro: “Gabriel was a member of our 4x400-meter varsity team and one of the fastest sprinters on our team.”

Justin Takiguchi: “No one works harder in the weight room than senior Justin Takiguchi. All his hard work manifested into a nice pole vault personal record of 10-6 set in our first meet of the season. Justin was also a great leader and someone who served his teammates well.”

Michael Vasquez: “Michael ran every race with great intensity and fearlessness. Michael remained undefeated in the 800 meter race for our league competition this year and was hoping to be the league champion in that event.”

Crean Lutheran track and field program has historic season

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you."   Deuteronomy 31:6

Crean Lutheran High School’s track and field program had an historic 2022 season, according to Coach Robby Cherry.

“In this year, our team had our highest CIF finish ever (fourth place) and saw our first individual qualify for the California state championship. We also had a number of students set school records, top 10 marks and personal bests,” Cherry said.

“This year our team was blessed with 61 new track and field athletes who had never participated in track and field before at the high school level. This amazing group of new talented runners helped our team to achieve success at the league and CIF levels. Overall, our team finished third place in the Empire League for both the girls and the boys teams.

“We had two athletes earn Empire League athlete of the year honors (Kaela Brenner and Jack Fairchild) and we had three athletes earn all-CIF honors (Ethan Miller, Kaela Brenner and Jack Fairchild).” Fairchild qualified for the state meet in the triple jump and was a CIF champion in both the 110-meter hurdles and the triple jump events for the CIF Division 4, Cherry added,

“Our theme verse for this season was 1 Corinthians 12:20 which says, ‘As it is, there are many parts, yet one body,” Cherry said. “Our focus this year was to use our unique God-given talents in unison (just as a body works in unison) to accomplish our team's goals. One of our main strengths as a team is how we are competitive at every event. All of our athletes and coaches have worked hard to contribute to our team's success. Praise the Lord for this amazing season.”