As the year turns and the second semester of the school year starts, North Atlanta track athletes know it’s time to grind. The team has been putting in work ever since the beginning of the year in order to be ready for the competition season from February to May. This year, they are led by some new fresh faces. The coaches of the team are Coach Bryce Doe (short distance) and Coach Jelani Regan (long distance), the son of the North Atlanta Athletic Director Andre Regan. Coach Doe has brought many athletes over from the football program, while Regan has brought validity with his famous North Atlanta name. 

Both coaches are looking to step up the track program to match the success of other Warrior athletic programs in the last two years. North Atlanta’s other running program, the cross country team, made state this school year for the first time in four years. Additionally, the softball, football, and tennis teams have also made tremendous strides as of late. The track team is looking to send more than just a few talented Warriors to the state meet this year. To reach the standard the other sports have set, the track team has met every day after school Monday through Friday since mid-January, a month earlier than when the tryouts have started in the past. Both coaches have also ramped up the difficulty of workouts from previous years. Coach Regan thought this would help invoke a spirit of hard work and dedication in this year’s track and field athletes. “We want our track team to be a competitive force that can succeed at the next level, and to achieve that we need harder work and more effort,” he said. 

The season starts off on February 15 at Westlake High School, where the Running Warriors will face off against 20 other teams. Senior and Point University committ Alden Sweatman is looking to capitalize on this season before he runs collegiately. “I’ve been running for North Atlanta since I was in seventh grade, and I want to end my career here with something special,” he said. “I think our new coaches can make that happen.”

As the inaugural meet lingers closer and closer, the track team knows this will be no short season. The team is expanding from seven meets from last year to almost 20 varsity and junior varsity meets this year to be more accustomed to competition. Although the season will be difficult, the new coaches will be looking to lead the team through the state meet in May.