This spring, as thousands of track and field athletes return to outdoor competition for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, they do so with a measure of uncertainty after missing a year of running, jumping, and throwing.

The same rings true for the powerhouse Pella boys and girls track and field programs — although the expectations remain high for both as they return to the oval.

Girls Head Coach Dak Rasmussen says a core of 2019 state qualifiers in their sprinting group and a batch of freshmen and sophomores full of potential give him initially positive thoughts about where the season ends in May.

“We’ve got (only) four girls returning with state experience.  That’s a little unusual for us, as we’ve been fortunate to send a lot of girls to Des Moines.  Ashley Blommers is our distance girl with experience, but we also have a ton of freshman that showed a lot of potential during the cross country season.  We’re going to see if that translates onto the track, but the future is looking really bright with those youngsters coming up.  Our sprints is where we have the most experience, with Rose Vanderhoff, Emily McMartin and Calla Kerndt having all run at state before.  They all look really good.”

However, he remains cautious before putting too high of expectations on the team, noting there is a lot of trial and error coaches across the state will be implementing in the early races to fill in lineups and relays. 

Pella’s boys and girls track and field season continues indoors at Central College and Dubuque for the boys Friday and Saturday respectively, while the Lady Dutch open Saturday at Central.