Aberdeen Christian doesn’t have much when it comes to upperclassmen, but what the Knights do have this track and field season is quality athletes.

“I think we have three juniors and seniors with the girls and guys combined, so that’s where you get the lack of numbers,” said Christian coach Sam Bjorkman, “and then honestly after that, sophomores and down actually by far the best that we’ve had, so that’s exciting.”

The boys will be led by Dylan Hofer, who finished seventh in the triple jump at the state meet last spring. He will pace an athletic group of guys that feature speed and athleticism.

“Dylan of course kind of leading the way and I think a lot of these other guys who were freshmen last year seem to be really bought in, so it’s exciting,” Bjorkman said. “We’ve got about six guy sprinters that are all kind of neck and neck with each other, which is the biggest group that we’ve had as far as solid guys.”

Brooks Jett, who is coming off an all-state basketball campaign, is already off to a stellar start with a top-five finish in the long jump on Monday at the Scott Underwood Invitational indoor meet in Brookings.

“Brooks had a solid day (Monday) for sure,” Bjorkman said, also noting that Hofer is right there with him. “Both of those guys went over 19 (feet) their first meet, so that definitely bodes well for both of them this season.”

The girls will once again be led by standout Shawnteah LaCroix who placed in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and the long jump at state last season.

The bulk of runners who were part of the relays that LaCroix ran on last spring are also back in the likes of Ali Isakson, Payton Skarin, and Hope Ellyson, along with Eri Cobbs who transferred to the school this past fall.

“We had four and then to have Eri Cobbs join is a big deal, too,” Bjorkman said. “She’ll be in the mix as well.”

On Monday, LaCroix was limited to one sprint race because of a hamstring issue. The Knights responded to the challenge without her.

“So (Monday) we ran the 4X1 and 4X2 without Shawnteah and ran better times than we ran with Shawnteah last year at the same meet,” Bjorkman said. “It’s a good start.”

That added depth allows LaCroix to explore other events, like the long jump which she literally experimented in late in the season last spring and ended up qualifying and placing in at state.

“It kind of makes you wonder what else you might want to push her into,” Bjorkman said.

One of those possible events is about as unlikely as you could think of.

“She’s been pushing for shot put for about three years,” Bjorkman said with a smile, “so I might have to just let her have it for a meet, get it out of her system.”

When asked about setting goals this early in the season, Bjorkman said it depends on the athletes and what they have already accomplished.

“It kind of just depends on the group. The kids that we kind of know from the last two years, where they can be at, yeah we definitely have our goals for what we want to do,” Bjorkman said, “and then hopefully there will be some surprises along the way.”

When teams are forced indoors because of the weather, the Knights try to take advantage of a unique situation that features a long hallway outside of the gym where kids can all out sprint without running into a wall.

“We’re the fortunate school that has the 150 meters in the hallways instead of 40,” Bjorkman said. “We try to take advantage of that, too.”

Christian will likely take a handful of standout athletes to a meet in Fargo, N.D. this season. Bjorkman likes to challenge his elite performers by seeking out the highest quality competition.

“You never know what’s out there until you actually see it and experience it and compete against it,” Bjorkman said. “And so that’s why I love getting to Brookings early and of course that’s why everyone loves Howard Wood at some level, but also North Dakota has produced some amazing sprinters the last few years, so having kids in that environment is pretty exciting.”