CFNN Reporter Christopher Shick

Head coach
The Colts are under new leadership this season, as Coach Keller begins her first season as head coach of the track and field teams. She will bring a fresh perspective to the program after a difficult offseason with challenges, focusing on building a strong team culture that is centered on helping athletes reach their full potential.

Last year performances
The girls had multiple top-three finishes in four regular season meets and at The Bear Invite at Grays Creek. The runners showed steady improvement throughout the season, like Anaiya Lewin, who dropped six seconds in the 400m dash, and Malorie Britt, who dropped 34 seconds in her mile time.

Conference finish/postseason
The girls finished 4th in the conference championship meet last year and had three individual athletes and three relays qualify for regionals. They had Shannel Sutton, Shayla Bonnilla, and Leah Carter all qualify for regionals as individuals. Leah also ran in the 4×100 and 4×200. Shayla ran in the 800m and the 4x400m. Shannel qualified to throw shot put at regionals.

Key returners
Some of the key returners are Aniyah Lewin, who ran at regionals in the 4x100m and the 4x200m, and Nariah Scott, who also ran in the 4x100m and 4x200m. These athletes will help lead the team with their experience in the postseason.

Promising Newcomers
The girls have some promising newcomers. The team is adding junior Keziah Chambers and freshman Ivanna Lee. Keziah moved to Cape Fear from Kansas. In Kansas, she helped her team qualify for the state championship in the 4x800m. Ivanna is a freshman who ran indoor this past season. She had the second-fastest 300m time on the team and had multiple top-five performances.

Coach quote
When asked how she thinks the team will do this season, Coach Keller had this to say: “I’m confident that our boys and girls teams will be able to compete and win a state championship.”Key runner quote
Keziah Chambers, who is expected to be a huge part of the girls team this season, had this to say about the upcoming season: “I’m super excited to see how the distance girls will do going into this season. I have a lot of confidence in them, and hopefully we’ll make a good 4×800 team.” She also said, “I think Shaddai and Aniyah will prove their commitment to track, and hopefully they will improve their times throughout the season.”