As the starting gun echoed across the track at Calvary Christian, the 2026 track & field season officially began for the Raiders. At their first meet of the year, the boys delivered a strong performance, securing a second-place finish overall. The girls also performed well, securing a 6th-place finish and showing strong improvement from the preseason.
Several standout performances helped secure valuable points throughout the meet. Junior Adrien Iziliaev led the way, taking first in the 800-meter race. Sophomore Kayaan Ghaffar also made a major impact, taking first place in the mile while securing crucial points for the Raiders. On the women’s side, junior Aleah Sawyer finished 3rd in the 1600-meter race, contributing valuable points to the team. Junior Elizabeth Rodriguez also contributed, earning 5th place in the 400-meter hurdles.
The 4×400-meter relay also played a significant role in the team standings, with senior Luc Carroll, sophomore Melvin Screen, junior Deandre Leonard, and senior Leondrez Leonard taking first place to close out the meet.
“Practice has required a lot of effort from us recently, but in the end, all it does is help us improve. This meet really showed how much our hard work can pay off,” Leonard said. “Along with running the 4×4, all the practice really helped me prepare for my other races like the 400m dash,” said Leonard.
Beyond the results, the meet marked an important milestone for the team. After several weeks of preseason training, athletes were eager to see how their preparation would translate onto the track. Several runners approached the meet determined to build off last season and establish momentum early. Among them was junior Emilio Perez-Garcia, who aimed to maintain the standard he set last year in the mile.
“My goal for the first meet was to start the season where I left off,” Perez-Garcia said. Prez opened this season with a 4:40.2 mile, progressing from last season’s 4:40.7, shaving 0.5 seconds. Despite feeling sore after the race, he also competed in the 4×400 relay and noted that it “turned out to be a fun race.”
Iziliaev shared a similar confidence going into the meet, emphasizing trust in his training and his teammates.
“My goals heading into the first meet were to get a good start to the season and to see the results of my pre-season training,” Iziliaev said. “I wasn’t particularly nervous because I have trust in myself and my teammates, and I’m happy with the outcome of the meet,” said Izilliaev.
Coach Suarez and his coaching staff had nothing but positive things to say about the team.
“We, as a coaching staff, were really happy with our performances. We have a great starting point now for the season and a lot of room for improvement. We’ll get back to work and focus on the next task at hand,” said head coach David Suarez.
With a strong start to the season, the Raiders now look to build on their momentum as they prepare for their next meet on February 20 at South Ridge Senior High School.
