As the winter sports season melts away, the spring sport season begins to bloom. Though it may not feel like spring outside, the first day for official spring sport practices is February 23^rd. Spring teams have already been getting prepped for the final sport season at AHS. While some teams had a great year, other teams are rebuilding and are looking towards the future.

Boys/Girls Lacrosse: State Championship on the Mind

The boys’ lacrosse team had a great season last year, setting records and winning like the program had never done before. They won their first ever league championship and made it to the semi-finals of the 4A playoffs before being knocked out by number 1 seed Wheat Ridge. Last year the boys had a very young team, which they think should help them this year.

“We have high expectations for this year’s lacrosse team,” said senior John Heaphey. “We have a strong core of returning upperclassmen as well as underclassmen that should make an impact. We hope to make a run at playoffs and as always our goal is to win the state championship,”

The girl’s lacrosse team finished last season strongly with a 12-4 record, the best overall record that their program as ever seen. They also won their first Mountain League championship title last year. After winning their league, they lost to the always-tough Mullen team in the playoffs. Though they lost a lot of seniors last year, they are poised to have another solid season. The underclassmen will be following seniors Paige Johnson, Emily Ecclestone, and Bentley Rager.

Girl’s Golf: Looking for a Return Trip to States

The girls’ golf team is coming off of a very exciting and successful 2014 campaign. Four Aspen golfers, Zara Iacono, Dolores Sharaf, Julia Budsey, and Christy Buchholz, all made it to the regional tournament in Fruita last year. Sharaf shot an 89 at regionals and earned a trip to the state tournament in Colorado Springs. The team will be losing their number two player this upcoming spring.

“Unfortunately we lost Zara, our number 2 player, because she graduated early,” senior Julia Budsey said.

However Budsey, Buchholz, Sharaf will be returning and are looking forward to another strong year.

“Dolores, Christy, and I will be able to work hard and shoot low,” said Budsey.

The team is poised for a strong showing this spring, and they are all looking forward to having to hosting the state championship in Carbondale at River Valley Ranch this upcoming May. The coach, Alden Richards, co-owns the River Valley Ranch and is extremely excited to be able to host the state tournament.

Baseball: Rebuilding Phase is Rounding Third and Coming Home

The AHS baseball team was one of the teams who went through a rebuilding phase last season. With a new coach and a new system last year, the baseball team ended with a record of 2-16. The team lost a lot of seniors, but is also gaining a lot of freshmen.

“Last year wasn’t exactly how we had imagined the season going. I’m looking forward to seeing the freshmen that come out and play and hopefully doing better than last season,” senior Cole Schwab said.

This year’s baseball team will face more change. There will be an entirely new coaching staff and system once again. The new head coach is long time local Dave Fuentes. He will be bringing in a new staff with him. Though there is more change, the players are ready for the future and hope that the rebuilding is coming to an end.

“We were, and still, are going, through a rebuilding phase. We have new coaches and a new system again this year. Hopefully this is the end of our rebuilding with all of the freshmen coming out to play,” said Schwab.

The baseball team will look to improve on last year and see what the future holds for them this upcoming season.

Track and Field: Sprinting for States … Again

Another strong sport for AHS last year was track and field. They were very young last year and featured a team that was mainly comprised of underclassmen, which bodes well for this year and the future. AHS made it to the state track meet in Lakewood last season. Now-sophomore Sunday Abarca finished fourth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.73 seconds.

The sprinters are not the only ones looking for a big season. The long distance runners and the relay teams also had very strong seasons. With only a few seniors leaving the team last year, this year should be filled with promise.

“I think we have a pretty strong long distance and sprinting team therefore there should be some strong competitive relay teams,” senior Graciela Robertson said.

This year’s team should be able to improve in multiple areas. Be on the look out for another big year out of our track and field team.

Girls’ Tennis: Serving up a Regional Repeat?

The girls’ tennis team is coming off of two regional titles from last year. As a team, the girls ended in third in the state. They were just one match away from finishing the year in second, and they are looking forward to another successful season this upcoming spring. The majority of the team will be returning this year hoping to improve.

“Our team will be generally the same this year minus a few seniors with the addition of some incoming freshmen, senior Caroline Godfrey said. “I look forward to a great season with a wonderful group of talented girls and I think we will do very well and have a good shot a making states.”

The team will be following the lead of Caroline Godfrey, Caroline DeRosa, Emily Puder, and Kelsey Ward, all of which are seniors and were with the team last year. Let’s hope that they can improve on their great finish from last season.

Girls’ Soccer: Heading to the Top

The girls’ soccer team had a solid season last year. They made a strong push for the playoffs at the end of the season last year, but missed out by just a couple games. They didn’t have many seniors last season and should come back this year with a more experienced and stronger roster.

“I think we will be very successful this year because all of our sophomores, juniors, and all the seniors are especially dedicated and hungry to come back stronger from the past few years,” senior Katherine Millette said.

The theme for the girl’s soccer team this year is to stay focused on the task at hand. They realize that in order to be successful this year they will need to be serious, however, they also know that they can have fun when the time is right.

“All we need is to be serious and focused on the field, whether it’s just a practice, a scrimmage, and of course during game time. It all matters, “ said Millete. “We learn to play together and stick together, then to be silly and bond in our off time is very important as well. We are a family and this season will be a fight, and in our endeavors, our family will take us very far this season.”

Look for the girls to build off of a good year last year and make another surge for the playoffs.