What the Calvary Lutheran track and field team strives for changes each season.
It hasn't always been about winning a conference or district championship with being a program in its infancy. But with the recent success for the Lions and Lady Lions, they're now reaching for even more.
The boys team was just 1.5 points away from its first state trophy last season, certainly not what the Lions could have imagined this time last year.
Maybe it was the new uniforms.
"I used to say when I started this with like five kids we had like 10 uniforms and I wanted to run out," Calvary coach Kerri Morris said. "So every year I'd say I want to run out of uniforms. Finally last year we purchased new uniforms."
Those 10 uniforms wouldn't have even clothed all the state qualifiers the Lions and Lady Lions had last season. The boys had seven and the girls six compete at the Class 1 state track and field championships.
All 12 of those names were put on a T-shirt prior to the meet to celebrate the accomplishment.
Senior Luke Felger, who was four spots from becoming a state qualifier in the discus at sectionals last season, wants to be on that list.
"Luke said, 'I want my name on that shirt this year,'" Morris said. "He threw a lot, he took the shot and disc home all summer and all winter. He really put the time in."
Reece Going's name was on the shirt. The junior won a state medal with a fifth-place finish in the 200-meter dash. Going, Sam Felger and Austin Meisel return from the state qualifying 4x200-meter relay team.
"Those boys sprinters are solid,"Morris said. "They are just looking really good. They did some work over the offseason."
Meisel and Sam Felger were also on the 4x100 relay team that took eighth at state last season.
Morris said Going will fill one of the two open spots on that relay, dropping the 400 in the process.
"Mostly because that's a good combination of boys," she said. "I think he can really give an advantage to them. He's really geared toward relays."
Newcomer R.J. Mays, a senior, will round out the relay squad.
"He decided to try it," Morris said. "So far the chemistry seems good on handoffs. There's a lot of new ones that look good in practice and I'm hoping that translates over well into meets."
Freshman Grant Going, who ran in the state cross country championships in November, will compete for a spot on a relay team.
"I think he puts a lot of pressure on himself," Morris said. "He kind of exceeded everybody's expectations in the fall and I think he's going to continue to do that."
Leading the way for the Lion jumpers is Matt Allen, who made it to sectionals in the high jump and long jump last season as a junior.
"Matt is going to be strong," Morris said. "He's kind of more of a quiet leader."
The Calvary girls return all seven of last season's state qualifiers and add another who was on her way to making it that far until an injury ended her season.
Sam Gunn, a senior, was a district champion in the 300-meter hurdles, long jump, triple jump and 4x100-meter relay last season. But an injury limited her at sectionals and kept her from qualifying for state.
Emma Homfeldt, a junior, will also be a leader for the Lady Lions. She ran in the 4x100 and 4x800 last season, but Morris said Sarah Johnson will take a spot in the 4x100 so Homfeldt can focus more on running the 4x800 and 800.
Homfeldt was third in the 800 last season.
"It's hard to not think that even this year or next there's a real possibility she can be a state champion," Morris said.
All but the 4x400 relay team made it to state last season, and all three placed ninth. Katy Allen, Olivia Bexten and Andrea Stanford all return from the 4x100 team. Allen, Stanford and Johnson are back in the 4x200, and Madeline Wilson, Johnson and Allison Procter ran the 4x800 last season.
"Just missed that medal so those girls are so hungry to get back to that level," Morris said. "They have come in working hard."
The season begins today in Russellville for an open meet. It's the start of a season Calvary hopes ends with another CCAA conference title, district championship and maybe more individual state championships.
"Obviously last year was a pretty big upswing in the program, so they obviously would love to earn that conference title again, earn that district title," Morris said. "But it's going to be hard. Districts is going to be hard again. Same tough district with schools like St. Elizabeth in it and schools that always have a good program and make a good show."