Coach Jeff Kilday and the Seaside track team has a good mix of athletes in the starting blocks for the 2016 season.

On the boys’ side, the Gulls have a strong group of runners, with several talented jumpers and throwers; while the Seaside girls are faced with replacing some major points lost to graduation in 2015.

“We have a very strong men’s team, and a very young women’s team,” said Kilday, whose teams both placed second in the Cowapa League team standings last year.

“We have a lot of freshmen coming in for the girls, and for the boys, we have that junior class that won the cross country state championship — they’re a great group. We have other seniors who came out, who we weren’t expecting.”

And like every track coach, Kilday is hoping that it all comes together in May.

But, “to win a district title, you can’t just win everything — you have to have some seconds and thirds. Astoria has some great guys and gal throwers, so they will be super hard competition.

“Sprinter-wise, judging by what I saw in our first meet, clearly Tillamook has THE sprinter in the league (junior Rory Coon). Scappoose always has a contingent of sprinters, so it will be a fight to see how we do there. In our relays, we’ll do well.”

A lengthy basketball season led to a late start for most of his team, but “now we have everybody, and they’re all healthy,” Kilday said this week.

“For the boys, our distance team is stacked,” with members of the 2015 state champion cross country team leading the way, including juniors Jackson Januik, Bradley Rzewnicki, Rafi Sibony and Hunter Thompson, and senior Jack Whittle. District hurdles champion, junior Will Garvin, also returns.

In addition to his talent on the track, Kilday said, “I have a couple jumpers who have come forward, like Jaxson Smith. He will certainly do big things for us; Raiden Bowles (state qualifier in the pole vault) looked strong in his first meet; and Sam Beaudoin is throwing the shot, discus and javelin, and doing great.”

Kilday is confident enough to say, “The boys will contend for the district title. With Jackson, Hunter, Bradley and Rafi in the distances, we have Juneau Meyer running the 200 and the 400 (district champion); Taylor Barnes and Jaxson Smith jumping …” there’s plenty of points to be scored for the Seaside boys.

“Hunter will also be long jumping,” Kilday said. “We haven’t seen those marks yet, but I think everyone will be shocked when they him.”

“We have a couple international students,” Kilday said. “Klara Bedrnova (from the Czech Republic) is a great 100- and 200-meter runner, but really she’s a 400-meter runner. She’s never done track, and doesn’t even have spikes.”

Freshman Kathryn Zagata will add to the distance depth, led by junior Josie Smith, top four in districts in both the 1,500 and 3,000 meters.

Senior Bridgett Malone returns in the hurdles, and the Lady Gulls still have juniors Lizzy Barnes and Cadyn Carr, “and a lot of freshmen,” Kilday said.

“Trinity Turner (hurdles), Audrey Kunde (middle distances), Anna Huddleston in the shot put, discus and javelin — she leads all three on our team as a freshman, and she’s still learning how to throw.”

League-wise, “Astoria has a really good group of seven ladies. I can never say a state title is certain. First you have to get people through district. But certainly Astoria has some outstanding athletes, and if they’re going to win another state title, this is probably the year for Astoria to do so.”

Astoria is “going to do great, girls-wise, and we’ll do great boys-wise,” he said. “Maybe we can both sweep the district this year.”

The district meet this season will be held at St. Helens, hosted by Scappoose.