The track teams are preparing for the Laker Classic Invitational, hosted by Lake Oswego High School on Friday, April 4. The teams have had success in the past at the invitational, with the girls winning the meet last year, and the boys winning the year before. Each of the 11 competing schools is allowed to bring two people for each event, so with some doing multiple events, approximately 60 athletes will represent Lincoln.

“Central Catholic will probably be our biggest rival there,” said head track coach Charlotte Richardson. “They have some strong competition in the middle and distance running events.” Despite Central’s strong showing over the past few years in these events, Lincoln has several athletes on both the boys’ and girls’ teams with long records of success. Seniors Ryan Fujita, Gabe Collins, and Liam Burke are the boys’ team’s top middle and distance runners, and Richardson is confident they will best the top threats at the meet. For the girls, twins Tess and Samara Michaelson are two of the team’s most successful runners. Both scored crucial points for Lincoln at last year’s invitational, with Tess winning the 1500 and 400 meter events, and Samara winning the 800.

Field events will also be an important factor in the competition. Senior Karl Sanft, who scored the most points of any athlete at the opening meet against Beaverton on March 19, will be throwing shot put and discus at the meet Friday. Sanft has competed on both a district and state level before, and currently leads the metro league in shot put. Julia Eckelmann, senior, took second in the javelin at last year’s invitational, and is throwing discus. In pole vault, seniors Haden Gobel and Trevor Cheadle, two of the top vaulters in the Metro League, hope to take the top two places and secure even more points for Lincoln. “Everyone’s been working hard to prepare for this,” Gobel said. “We want to win and prove that we’re the best ones out there.”