The indoor track season has already begun, and soon the Hendricks County girls’ squads will take to the outdoors. All six teams return plenty of talent, and are primed for success in the 2010 campaign.



Brownsburg

The Bulldogs enter the new year looking to build upon a stellar ‘09 campaign.

Last season, Brownsburg ran its consecutive sectional title streak to three, also winning its second straight county crown and a Hoosier Crossroads Conference championship.

The Bulldogs marched through the postseason, placing third at regional and taking three medals at state.

In 2010, Brownsburg will be led by first-year head coach Ken Schnepp, with boys’ head coach Bret Neylon assisting.

Neylon called last season “the best in school history.”

“That’s going to be hard for anybody to follow,” Neylon said of last season. “But we still look to be strong this year, led by the same girls that made it to the state finals.”

State qualifiers Kirsten Gaerke (400, 4x400 relay) and Sydney Lesko (3200) return.

Maddie Webster returns to run the 1600 and 3200, after winning both events last season at county, conference, and sectional. Webster is also a state qualifier in cross country.

Experienced runners Haley Wittig and Veronica Goduto will compete in the 800.

Gaerke leads a young Bulldog group in the sprint events. Gaerke ran on the 4x400 relay team that won county, conference, sectional, and regional titles a year ago.

“One of the strongest areas the girls had last year was sprints,” Neylon said. “Kirsten Gaerke, a state finalist in the 400, is going to have to lead a lot of younger girls that were reserve last year.”

In the field, Brownsburg will look to Sara Tate (high jump) and Elissa Hall (pole vault) as top contributors.



Avon

The Orioles had five individuals compete at last season’s state meet and to make matters better, they were all sophomores.

Four of the five return this season – thrower Carlynn Carter, high jumper Haley Austin, long jumper Briscney Fleming, and pole vaulter Caselyn Harding.

“They will have that mental toughness of knowing what it takes to get to that level,” Avon coach Stephanie Chenoweth said. “It puts pressure on them to get back, but also takes pressure off of them because they know what to expect. The rest of the girls can follow their lead.”

Carter made a big splash in her state finals debut last season, finishing second in the discus throw (132’4”).

“I’m really excited for her,” Chenoweth said. “Right now she’s throwing in practice and coach Keele says she’s picked up right where she left off.”

Austin almost won a state medal of her own, placing 11th in the high jump at state (5’4”). She won the event at sectional and was runner up at county.

Harding returns after breaking a sectional record in pole vault (10’7.25”) and winning the event at conference.

Fleming finished 29th at state in long jump (15’1”) and worked with the cross country team in the offseason.

Chenoweth is looking for big things out of cross country standout Maya Nagy in distance events. The junior finished third at sectional and fourth at regional in the 3200 last season.

“I’m really looking forward to good things from her,” Chenoweth said. “I’m not 100 percent what she can do, she’s actually really excited about running the 800.”

Junior Audra Cokain (300 hurdles) and sophomore Taylor Smith (1600) were also individual regional qualifiers last season.

The team will also welcome the return of senior hurdler Jordyn Keele this season. She broke the school record in the 100 hurdles as a freshman, but has suffered ACL injuries in each of the last two seasons.

Last year the Orioles finished third at county and sectional and fourth at regional.



Plainfield

Last season, Plainfield came up just short of taking county and sectional titles, finishing second at both events.

Quakers coach Jason Schoeff is hoping 2010 is the year Plainfield can get over the hump.

“Obviously, our goal is we’d like to win our big three meets of county, conference, and sectionals,” Schoeff said. “We have a team capable of doing that, but whether we’ll be able to or not, we’ll have to wait and see.”

Plainfield will be without graduated senior Rebecca Hoesman, who placed 21st at state last year in the 300 hurdles.

“You can’t replace a four-year letterwinner who holds multiple school records (Hoesman), but you sure as heck are going to try,” Schoeff said. “A lot of our girls have seen her work ethic and dedication, and we hope that rubs off.”

Plenty of talented athletes return, including state qualifier Morgan Ford (discus, shot put). The entire school-record-holding 4x100 relay team of Courtney Erlenbaugh, Kristin Mercer, Mackenzie Motter, and Kasey Johnson is also back after finishing 21st at state.

Youth will lead the distance events, as sophomore Markella Taivalkoski and freshman Brynn Olinger are expected to be strong contributors in the 1600 and 3200.

In addition to Ford in the field events, the Quakers will feature throwers Emily Byrd and Jody Pearcy, pole-vaulter Melissa Jones, and high jumper Amelia Stark.

Jones owns the school record in pole vault.

“We’d like to see her (Jones) go to state,” Schoeff said. “We’d obviously also like to have the 4x100 and 4x400 teams qualify, but we’ll just take it as it goes.”



Cascade

Last season Shelby Reynolds became the first Cascade state qualifier in more than a decade, placing 22nd in the long jump.

The good news for the Cadets is she was only a sophomore.

“She set her goal when she came in as a freshman that she wanted to make it to the state meet,” Cascade coach Rosie Fakes said. “Now she’s changed that goal to making it to state in more than one event.”

Reynolds was also a regional qualifier in the 100 and finished second in the event at sectional and conference. She shattered the sectional record in long jump, leaping 17’1” to win the event.

Fellow junior Shalynn Eckols returns after winning the high jump at county for the second consecutive season with a jump of 5’4.” She was runner up in the event at sectional and placed fifth at regional.

“She had a great season last year and over the summer she went to Australia to compete and that was really good for her,” Fakes said.

Sophomore Brittney English also returns. She qualified for regional in the long jump after placing fourth in the event at sectional.

Six Cadets recently qualified for the Hoosier State Relays on a team comprised of just one senior – thrower Britni Marvel.

Hilary Fox, Pascale Hansen, Eckols, Reynolds, and English will join Marvel in the meet.

Hansen (pole vault) and Fox (discus) each placed seventh in their respective events at sectional last season.

Last year the Cadets placed third at conference, fifth at county, seventh at sectional, and 13th at regional.



Danville

The Warriors had two runners compete at state last season and one returns – junior Lauren Callahan, who placed 27 th in the 800.

“Lauren has had a really good offseason,” Danville coach Pat McKenzie said. “She keeps it going all the time and does the little things really well. She wants to get back to the state meet and is looking to place higher.”

Callahan won the event at county last season and was runner up at sectional and conference.

Danville will welcome back three of the four members from last seasons’ regional qualifying 4x800 relay team – Callahan, sophomore Lauren Eisenhart, and junior Rachel Burton. The team placed second at conference and sectional last year.

Freshman Megan Newcomer looks to fill out the fourth spot on that relay team this season.

McKenzie will look for senior leadership from sprinter Taylor Reyes, who finished seventh in the 100 at sectional last season.

“She’s done a nice job leading this year,” he said. “She has a great personality that is very encouraging to the others.”

Junior Kelsey Newcomer (hurdles, jumps) and sophomore Jordan Kyle (sprinter) will also be among the contributors to a Danville team down in numbers this season.

“Overall we are down on numbers, we have about 25 kids so depth is definitely an issue,” McKenzie said. “But I am very happy with the ones we do have.”

Last season the Warriors finished runner up at conference, fourth at county, and fifth at sectional.



Tri-West

Tri-West figures to be a young team again in 2010.

“We’ve got a good amount of improvement coming on the ladies’ side,” Tri-West coach Luke Baker said. “We’re young, losing three or four key seniors, but we’ve got a lot of talent coming back with several sophomores and girls who were eighth graders last year.”

The Bruins are looking for big things from their jumpers — Rachel Allen and Carissa Rose.

With a leap of 4’10’’, Rose finished runner-up in the high jump at last year’s Sagamore Conference meet.

Allen, a sprinter who also finished third in the 200 at conference last season, will compete in the long jump.

In addition to Allen, the Bruins will have Lindsay Curtis, Sam Hake, Mackenzie Kahl, Keanna Lazaro, Sydney McCalley, Courtney Sparks, and Alex Stokes running sprint events.

Lauren Pfeifer will anchor 4x800 relay team.