HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. --- Luke Sutherland may have gotten started late in his high school career, but it didn't slow him down one bit as a standout member of the Marina High School cross country and track & field programs.

Sutherland only ran during his junior and senior seasons, but managed to earn two Most Outstanding Runner awards and make the CIF Cross Country meet as an individual this past fall.

He's in the middle of his final high school track season right now and then he's committed to join Biola's programs beginning this fall. He joins a program that's coming off its first National Christian College Athletic Association national championship and a top-3 finish in the NCAA Division II's PacWest Conference.

Sutherland is no stranger to strong programs though, as he helped pioneer Marina High School's best finish in years by leading the cross country team to a second-place league finish in 2017.

"I chose Biola because I felt God was calling me to attend and compete for a school that would provide a positive atmosphere for me to excel academically and athletically and also grow as a person," said Sutherland. "I feel like Biola is the perfect place for that to happen."

Sutherland is an accomplished student as well, currently sporting a cumulative grade point average of 4.01 and an active member of the National Honors Society.

The newcomer competes in the middle distance and distance events on the track, including the 3-mile, 800m, 1,600m and 400m. He's got personal-bests of 1:56.37 in the 800m and :51.42 in the 400m. He anticipates those may go down a bit as he continues his senior track season. Those times put him within about a second of Biola's current top finishers in those events.

Keep an eye out for Sutherland as he begins training with the team late this summer.