THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The California Lutheran University women's track & field team is excited to be back on the track and in the field with a busy 2022 schedule. 

The team is highlighted by five seniors, Claire Caldera, Samantha Carranza, Cassidy Fukuda, Veronica Redpath and Denaya Wickett, that will look to lead a younger team. The rest of the makeup is three juniors, seven sophomores and five freshmen. 

Roster | Schedule

The Regals start the season on Friday at the Moorpark Invitational. Read what Head Coach Brett Halvaks had to say about the upcoming season. 

Your team saw some action last year, how has that helped you going into the new season?
Getting to compete in a few meets last season was helpful for our younger student-athletes to experience college track and field. It was also very nice to be able to practice with the team for those couple months last year and allow the team to get back into a routine. We are looking forward to this upcoming season and getting the opportunity to compete in a full schedule. The team is very excited for the opportunity because at this point only the seniors on our team have had the chance to compete in a full season. Current juniors on the team have only competed in five-to-six meets their first two years. We have many student-athletes who will compete in more meets this upcoming season then they have the last two seasons combined.

What can you tell us about the returning class, which Regals should we be looking out for?
The Regals have 13 returners, five of which are seniors. The coaching staff will be looking towards those returners, especially the seniors, to lead this team as they know how to navigate a full season. I believe all these student-athletes will be able to contribute to the success of team during the season. Sarah Bjornson (high jump), Zaria Opara (shot put), Veronica Redpath (5K) all won individual SCIAC Championships last spring.

Then you have the incoming class, who can make noise?
There are 13 new Regals on the team this season, so we have a very balanced team between returners & newcomers. The coaching staff and I will be looking for all 13 Regals newcomers to contribute to the team this season. We understand there might be a bit of a transition period as the newcomers adjust to collegiate track and field, but they will be ready to compete at peak performance by the SCIAC Track & Field Championship at the end of the season. 

What can you tell us about your schedule, what meets are you looking forward to?
Our focus for the season will be the three SCIAC Multi Duals throughout the season then SCIAC Champs at the end of the season, as those will determine where we finish in the SCIAC. Outside of those meets, we are looking forward to competing at the Pomona-Pitzer Invite and the Oxy Distance Carnival/Spring Break Classic as those two meets provide us the opportunity to compete against a variety of schools across different levels (NCAA Division 1, Division 2, NAIA, etc.).

What are your thoughts about the season? What can we expect from the team?
The Regals are excited and ready to compete this upcoming season. We are evenly balanced between upperclassmen and newcomers. I am excited to watch this team grow together and push each other throughout the season. The Regals have good depth throughout the events. All our training and racing will be aimed to have all the Regals healthy and ready to compete to the best of their ability at the SCIAC Track & Field Championship. 

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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director