Yes. Being an athlete can definitely help you get admitted to the college of your choice. There’s a whole process for getting into college via athletic talent–I don’t know the details, and it probably differs for each sport. I suggest that you do some google searches–for example “college track recruiting”–to give you and your parents some background info on the process. Then talk seriously to both your track coach and your high school’s athletic director to see what they know, how they view the process, and how much they will support you. Finally, try to get in contact with current college students who are running track and who have gone through the process, to get the value of their experience. Also, there are probably current seniors at your own school who have just gone through this process, and could already be in a position to give you some advice.
I also just found that the individual colleges have their own info on the process–search, for example “Long Beach State athletic recruit” and you’ll get to this site:
http://www.longbeachstate.com/univ/recruits.html
This site gives the email address of the track coach (or recruiter)–but before contacting the coach directly, do your background research (as laid out above) and work with your parents, to be sure you know what your strategy/options will be going in.
Good luck!