The Highlands Track team has been good throughout these past years always having multiple people making state and finishing podium. But earlier this year coach Ryan Leopold stepped down so Highlands had to look for a new coach to fill the spot. They looked and found a coach by the name of Dustin Perble and acquired him to fill the position.
Perble has been a track and field coach already. He started in 2020 at Campbell County Middle School. Perble started running track in 7th grade (2007) and was one of only two kids in his grade to try running hurdles.
After trying it he, “fell in love with it.” Perble kept doing hurdles until his senior year and eventually competed in every running event at least once.
The position that Perble took was something tough to follow after Leopold left.
Senior Ben Hack said, “I think the biggest thing is he’s a younger guy so it’s going to bring a lot of energy and excitement this year and hopefully lead us to some records.”
Being younger, he’ll slide right into the new role of being a coach. He’ll be better with the players, have more energy, and will be able to learn a lot.
With being in a new system with new people around he wants to make an impact so he has some goals.
Perble said, “My goals for this year are pretty simple. I want to establish myself with the team and get them working in, what I believe is, the most effective manner. I saw what the team was capable of last year so a couple of state qualifiers, even with the jump to Triple-A, would be the cherry on top.”
Highlands track and field got a really good piece to their team and hopefully, he can follow through with these goals and will make this track and field team better than it already was.