08/07/2026
A word from Coach Alisha Dansby Conwell
With this season ending, I have a few thoughts.
I am so incredibly proud of each athlete. This season was a season of success! Success in learning new things, achieving personal records, setting goals and breaking them, breaking bad habits in our events, learning new habits and cultivating them and last but not least: Winning in our faith!
Each athlete worked tirelessly to find their niche in this sport. Though tears, pain, grinding, heat, rain, wind and anything life could throw at them, they never stopped. They were the true embodiment of WWJD (What would Jesus Do). Each decision they made led them across the finish line and in that, ours jobs were complete for the season.
Growth was something all of us coaches were looking forward to this season. Watching each athlete shine when it finally clicked for them was pure joy! I know some parents may have had second thoughts in our methods and may not have understood why we teach and coach certain techniques but in the end, the result was trust between athlete and coach and new personal record results. We coach because we love the sport. We coach because we want to pass on all the knowledge we've gained in our life to the next generation. We COACH because we want to, not because we have to. Thank you parents for entrusting your children to be apart of our program!
A HUGE thank you to team staff and coaches. Without you, we could not have the success of seeing happy athletes and wonderful season.
Erma Ratliff Team Operations Manager
Ray La Boeuf Head Distance Coach and Head Cross Country Coach
Jon Kilts Assistant Distance Coach and Head Strength and Coach
Brianna Young Assistant Distance Coach and Apparel and Branding/Uniforms
Belle Cullens Jumps/Sprints and Multi-Event Coach
Honorable Mention as Coach: Lira and USD 353. We are so thankful to you for giving us a Track home! Coach Lira, you are such a light to our Wellington Track and Field Community and we are so lucky to have you! Thank you Coach!
Thank you to all of our communities from which our athletes come from. You made a difference this year and because of that we had many that benefited from your help. The Junior Olympics isn't the end journey, its the climb of it. From there these athletes can get scholarships, be able to be scouted for national and international teams or eventually, make a bid for the Olympics one day. I can say that because I was once one of those athletes and because of my community growing up, I was able to do ALL the above.
Here's to a fantastic season and looking forward to seeing the success of Cross Country and Indoor!
