Cerah Moren, 25, has been named the head coach of Aptos High’s track and field team.

Moren served as the sprints and hurdles coach as a Mariners assistant last season, and helped both the boys’ and girls’ teams win Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League titles.

She replaced athletic director Travis Fox at the helm.

The Mariners, who benefit from massive participation, expect to have between 80-100 student-athletes in the program.

“I’m excited to see how all the returners from last year will improve,” Moren said. “I know all the newbies will improve. I’m also excited to see how the returners support their teammates. We want the kids sticking around after they compete, showing team spirit, cheering for every person, down to the last event, the 4×400 relay.”

Moren has already named six team captains (three boys and three girls) and has incorporated several spirt-based, team bonding competitions.

Moren teaches math at Aptos. A 2017 graduate of John H. Pitman High in Turlock, she competed in track and field at Arizona State University and Fresno State University.

A standout in the javelin, and the owner of a career-best throw of 49.1 meters, Moren suffered a torn UCL in her elbow as a college freshman and had Tommy John surgery. She rebounded from her injury and competed for the Sun Devils. She graduated with a degree in mathematics and secondary education in ’21.

She also competed one season for FSU, where she earned a master’s degree in education, curriculum, and instruction.

Harbor has two new coaches this spring: Sam Womack for girls lacrosse and Tim Boucher for boys golf.

Womack, 27, played four years of club lacrosse at Pleasant Grove High in Elk Grove, where she graduated in 2015, and two years at American River College (2013-’15) in Sacramento.

“We’re excited to add Samantha to the ship,” Pirates athletics director James Gaynor Jr. said. “She received great praise from coaches in S.C. County and will bring stability to the program.”

She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in chemistry. She is married and works at YoungLife, a faith-based non-profit that works with high school students.

Womack has experience coaching two club teams, the Santa Cruz Warriors (2015-’19) and Elk Grove Gladiators (2021-’24).

“I’m excited to have an athletics director supporting me,” said Womack, comparing club vs. high school. “It’ll be nice to have all the girls from one school. Admin-wise, that makes it easy. And there’s school spirit in it, camaraderie and community.”

Boucher, 34, played golf for four years at Archbishop Mitty in San Jose. He joined the military after graduating high school in 2008 and served six years in the Marines. He works in steel construction for a company in Santa Clara.

Boucher hopes to increase the turnout for the program and create a junior-varsity team.

“I’m hopeful we’ll have a good team,” said Boucher, who won at the junior level in his youth.

Gaynor believes Boucher will help return the program to prominence. “His coaching style and approach to the teaching golf will be a great benefit for our golf program,” the athletics director said.

Boucher and his wife, Brittany, relocated from San Francisco a year ago and live on Santa Cruz’s Westside.