Kokomo — After a season of milestones last year, the Eastern girls track and field team is already up to its old tricks.

A year after the Comets snagged first-ever Howard County and Mid-Indiana Conference championships and their 4x400 relay team shattered the Kokomo Tribune All-Area record, Eastern’s 4x800 relay team of Emily Wilcox, Bethany Neeley, Brittany Neeley and Sarah Wagner captured this spring’s Hoosier State Relays Class 1A-3A crown.

Their time of 9:43.62 indoors would have eclipsed the all-area record set outdoors just last year by Kokomo by almost 13 seconds.

The Kats denied the upstart Comets their first sectional title in 2010, earning Kokomo’s 15th crown in 17 years.

The following are capsules of the five county teams in order of their sectional finishes.

Kokomo

The Wildkats won their second straight sectional but lost seven four-year letter winners to graduation. With a limited number of returnees, that could spell a rebuilding year for the Kats.

“But the beauty of that is the ones we do have [returning] are, No. 1, point-earners, and No. 2, they’re proven leaders,” said longtime coach Dave Barnes, who has yielded some of his head-coaching duties to assistant Jay Karp.

Tops among those is senior Brielle Bonnafon, the sectional long jump champ as a sophomore. Last season she added titles in 100- and 200-meter dashes and in 2009 was a regional qualifier in the 300 hurdles.

“I think she’s a little stronger than she was last year,” Barnes said of Bonnafon. “I don’t think people realize how versatile she is. Sometimes if we go out and do a team mile, she’s one of the people out in front. She could probably run a pretty good mile if I could talk her into it.”

Classmate Emily Keller is the relay queen for Kokomo as she runs a leg on all three relays. Lexi Laird returns in the pole vault while newcomer Jasmine Hughes has potential in the throws.

Regional qualifiers Courtney Gilman (400 meters) and Annika Taber (800, 1,600) lead the juniors. Both run legs on the 4x4 and 4x8 relays.

High jumper Sarah Frey already has cleared 5 feet indoors and sprinters Stacia Fletcher and Portia Lang will battle for spots on the 4x100 relay. Stephanie Paul, Rosie Levine and Lexie Young return in the throwing events.

Sophomore Morgan Kemper qualified for regional in long jump a year ago and Brayana Fowler returns in sprints after earning fifth in the 100 and anchoring the sectional runner-up 4x1 relay. Madison Thompson also has cleared 5 feet in high jump and Emily Parkhurst continues to improve her discus.

Kierra Bronson improved her best 3,200 time from 2010 by more than two minutes indoors and is setting the pace in the distance events while middle distance runners Lizzy Cockrell and Erica Goodman are competing for spots in the 400, the 800 and the relays.

Freshman Anh Pham set an indoor school record by clearing 10 feet in pole vault, placing sixth at the HSR. Sprinters Raven Pugh and Brianna Lancaster have shown outstanding promise in the 100 and 300 hurdles.

Ma-Ryssa Martin and Iesha Wallace are competing for varsity spots in the 100 and 200 as well as the 4x100 relay while Summer Blackamore has been past 30 feet consistently indoors in shot put.

“We know Eastern has some quality kids,” said Barnes. “They’ll probably give us a good run.

“We’ve always said we have to come with our depth and our quality. When they win a race we have to be second and third. That’s pretty much what we did last year.”

Eastern

After finishing runner-up to Kokomo in the Madison-Grant Sectional and sixth at the Bremen Regional, the Comets are primed for another impressive season led by Zoe Wolfe.

Wolfe, a two-time state finalist in high jump, recently captured the HSR crown in Class 1A-3A with a height of 5 feet, 4 inches.

The versatile senior last season also placed fifth at Bremen in the 300-meter hurdles and helped classmate Wilcox and the Neeleys obliterate the all-area record for the 4x400 with a time of 4:00.60 at the state meet.

“As a senior we expect Zoe to lead us in four events each meet,” says coach Michael Goodspeed.

Wilcox is a regional qualifier in the 800 while Joy Sommers (400, 4x4 relay) and Jessica Nelson (throws) complete the senior class.

Much will be expected of the Neeley twins, who can compete in anything from long jump, the 100-meter hurdles and the 200 to the 800 and the 1,600 as well as the relays.

A year ago they combined to win five events at sectional while Bethany captured a regional title in the 800-meter run. She wound up third at the state finals and Brittany was eighth in the 400-meter dash.

“The Neeley sisters have been working hard all year in preparation for track and are currently the fastest two 800-meter runners in Indiana.” said Goodspeed.

In addition, Eastern looks to several athletes to have notable seasons, including Wagner (distance, high jump), Demi Shafer (pole vault), Jordan Powell and Sonia Bogue (sprints), Mercedes Rubow (jumps), Sommers (hurdles, middle distance) and Breann Donson (throws). Incoming freshman include Hannah Broo (sprints) and Cambry Martin (distance).

Northwestern

The Tigers finished last season fourth at sectional with six regional qualifiers, although only three of those return in 2011 — senior Gretchen Catron (3,200), junior Kylie Ballard (high jump) and sophomore Addie Dubbels (400 meters).

Coach Mary Clem has about 40 girls to work with, including six returning seniors.

“I’m excited for the team to be able to watch them develop and have an outstanding season,” Clem said. “The team is lead by strong senior leadership and they are being great role models for the younger girls. That’s so important to be able to say the other girls respect them.”

Rachel Lowden and Anna Sloss were members of the regional-qualifying 4x400 relay team while Lowden was fifth at sectional in the 400. Sloss is also a pole vaulter.

Hannah Ault runs the 1,600 as well as two relays while Hannah McDermott, and Lizzy Hubenthal round out the senior class.

Ballard just missed qualifying for state in high jump, placing sixth at Bremen. Also returning as juniors are Nia Cobb (200), Peyton Hite (throws), Britanny Jocius (1,600, 4x8) and Tiana Oden (hurdles, sprints).

Dubbels was overshadowed by Brittany Neeley a year ago but was impressive as a freshman. She placed second to Neeley at Madison-Grant and missed by an eyelash of qualifying for state, finishing fourth at Bremen.

Other sophomores include Kristin Arslain (hurdles), Elise Cobb (sprints, long jump), Heidi Freeman (3,200) and Hannah Treadway (throws).

Freshmen include Amber Miller (sprints, pole vault), Karly Sprouse (distance) and Faith LaDue (sprints).

“It’s going to be an interesting season,” said Clem. “As a team we’ll be work on improving all season to be able to advance out of sectional and regional.

“I tell the girls that all the meets are simple practice for the sectional meet. I only ask that they go out and give 110 percent at each meet and try to improve on the way.”

Western

The Panthers bid farewell to coach Marvin Boswell, who had been pressed into service as both boys and girls coach the past three years, and welcome back Joni McCracken.

McCracken was coach of the track team in 2006 and last fall took over the cross country team.

“Obviously not having been here it’s hard for me to say anything from last season to this season [but] I do know we hope to better our standing in the Howard County, the MIC and sectional,” said McCracken, whose girls finished sixth at sectional a year ago.

Back on the team as well is senior all-state volleyball player Sable Staller. She was a key component of Western’s first sectional title in 2008, qualifying for regional in three events — high jump, long jump and the 4x400 relay.

Yet another returning is Caily Tanner, who was a 2009 regional qualifier in shot put as a freshman but had to sit out all of 2010 with a physical ailment. This spring Tanner was fifth indoors at the HSR finals, where senior Breanna Cable was ninth.

Senior Alleca Kerker has been a mainstay in sprints, qualifying for regional as a freshman and sophomore in the 100, and junior Corinna Cottingham will shoot for her third straight regional bid in pole vault.

Distance and middle distance returnees Corianne Myer, Krissy Durr, Bre Nicholas, Gina Jakubowicz and Erin Weber are joined by newcomers Cara and Jessica Love, Tori Berger and Allison Lindley, who helped Durr, Jakubowicz and Weber finish 10th in the 4x800 relay at the HSR.

Sophomore Natylee Nation qualified this spring for the HSR in high jump and long jump, where she placed eighth.

“She’s coming on very strong,” McCracken said of Nation. “She’s a sponge right now and that’s fun to work with. We’re just trying to figure out where she fits in best because she’s so multi-talented.

“We have a very [inexperienced] team this year,” McCracken added, “so we’re just looking for the beginning of the season to get these kids to even know what track and field is.

“We aren’t going to do it all in one year but we’re sure going to do what we can to get going in the right direction.”

Taylor

Things couldn’t have been more bleak for the Titans last season. Not only did they fail to advance anyone to regional, but Taylor also didn’t score a point at the Madison-Grant Sectional.

Senior Halle Fletcher should change that this year. She already this spring qualified beyond 35 feet for the indoor shot put HSR finals, where she finished 10th.

“She’s been throwing pretty consistently, so we’re expecting some big things out of her this year,” Titans coach Nick Weicht said of Fletcher, who is joined by sophomore Jordan Douglas in the throws.

The problem for the Titans? Very low turnout.

“It’s going to be tough for us just because we have such low numbers, explained Weicht.

What he will have to count on include junior Ashley Faller in hurdles and long jump, Andria Eddington in sprints and a small but athletic group of freshmen.

“We’re excited about the core of freshmen girls we have,” said Weicht. “We think they’re going to give us a strong effort and a bit of a talent upgrade.

“We expect to see some progress. The great thing about it is that these girls are pretty positive and they’re going to stay positive and go out and compete.”