Montanez takes the reins of LHS indoor track team

As the 2025 indoor track and field season approaches, the Lovell athletes under the guidance of new head coach A.J. Montanez will be focused to set new personal records and hopefully reach their goal of qualifying for the 3A State Meet in March.

Montanez will take over as head coach after serving as the assistant coach for the past five years under head coach Lindsay Lindsay, who decided to step down as head coach last spring.

“I am excited to continue my involvement in the LHS indoor track program in my new role as head coach,” Montanez said about his feelings on stepping up to the top spot. “Providing the athletes in our school district with the tools and opportunities to be successful has been my passion and driving force.”

The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs will open the season this Saturday at the Gillette ITK Invite, and Coach Montanez said the athletes have been “working hard and are excited to get over the mountain and compete.” There are currently 20 Lovell athletes out this season, and there are two athletes from Rocky Mountain High School who will be competing for the Bulldogs. 

In a change from previous seasons, Coach Montanez will not have an assistant coach helping him, and he feels at times the task can be somewhat daunting, but he has received some great support from other Lovell coaches who have volunteered their time, which has really helped and has been invaluable in helping the athletes train properly. Those coaches include Josh and Caleb Sanders, Josey Allen and Lindsay Lindsay.

The two returning athletes that had the most success last season are Gavin Robertson, who competes in the long jump and sprints, and Halen Strom, a shot putter. Robertson placed fifth in the state last year in the long jump and is
looking to improve on his placing this year. Montanez stated that Strom has been working very hard since last season, and he should be very competitive in the 3A classification this season.