UCLA assistant track coach Justin O'Neil, who will be working with Lily as her middle distance coach, looks forward to having her on board. He notes, "At UCLA, our athletic motto is 'Champions Made Here.' Lily James exemplifies these words as she has already been a champion at the high school level and knows what it takes to get there. As Lily joins our community, we are excited to set challenging new goals with her, and assist her in pursuing academic and athletic excellence to the fullest." 

Lily ran track at Oakcrest from 6th through 12th grade and completed an outstanding season this past spring, winning first place in the 800m at the VISAA State Championships, as well as running on Oakcrest's 4x800m relay and 4x400m relay teams, both of which also won first place at states. This spring she also ran the fastest girls 800m time (2:15.33) in the state of Virginia. Other highlights included setting new school records in the 400m, 800m, 1600m, and the 4x800m relay. 

"I'm so excited to run for UCLA and have the opportunity to compete with the best runners in the country," says Lily. "It's humbling, and I'm very thankful to Coach Pruskowski and all the other coaches, teachers, and teammates who helped me along the way to achieve this goal." 

Learn more about Oakcrest's athletic program here.