Following a successful 2022 track and field season, the Pella Christian boys track and field squad has some big shoes to fill in their effort of getting more athletes to the State Meet.

Of the Eagles’ eight boys that competed at the Blue Oval for last year’s State Meet, just four return this spring. Pella Christian will also get a boast in the lineup with the return 2021 State Meet Participant Isaac Kacmarynski, who missed the 2022 season recovering from a football injury. With some big shoes to fill in the lineup this year, Eagles head coach Keith Anderson says that the opportunity for athletes to step into those roles is there to be had.

“We do have some guys coming back that have definitely had the experience and been a part of some of those relays and also been a part of some teams that have been up to the Blue Oval for State and for Drake (Relays). But then like you said, just some younger kids that don’t have a ton of experience. They’ve been varsity runners in their high school career, but trying to fit them into maybe some of those spots that are open with some of those departures. A couple weeks into practice, it’s really hard to just know exactly what everybody can do. So, the first few meets are going to be just basically trying to get some times, trying to get some distances just to see where people are at. And then we’ll kind of start to move the pieces around and maybe start to put together the relays and focus a little bit more on what we’re trying to accomplish long term.”

The Pella Christian boys kick off their 2023 campaign on Thursday with the Little Hawkeye Conference Indoor Meet at the Bear Athletic Center in Grinnell.