The Lady Wildkats graduated a strong senior class that provided the heart and leadership of the last two championships, including three-time state qualifier Maggie Scheiman, who competed in eight different events over her career, Sade Cox and Lisa Barrett, who advanced to state at least once, and Sara Chalk, who won both throws in the sectional.

That's not to say there's nothing in first-year coach Bobby Pettigrew's stable. In fact, it's probably extremely rich in talent.

But, it's young -- very, very young.

"We're very strong in the sophomore and freshman classes with just a couple juniors and seniors sprinkled in," said Pettigrew, a two-time boys state shot put champion and a 2004 inductee to the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame. "We have a lot to learn and it's going to be a learning process early in the year. Our goals are set for the middle of the season to get everyone in position and see what they can do. It's going to take a lot of patience for us this year."

Pettigrew takes over from Dave Barnes, who filled in last season while Jill DeVoe was on pregnancy leave. Barnes will continue to help out with the sprints and jumps while Pettigrew also has Jay Karp. Pettigrew will continue to work with the throwers, but he'll get help from former Kats Aaron Alexander in the high jump, and Andrea (Knight) Harris in distance events.

"I'm not used to this side of it, to placing people in events," Pettigrew willingly admits. "I'm used to knowing what I already have and going from there."

The sophomore class provides Kokomo with a strong lineup of girls already set for a slew of events, including Courtney Smith-Powell, Adrienne Shepherd and Courtney Cardwell.

Smith-Powell anchored the 1,600 relay and qualified for the regional in the long jump and 400 dash, where she's the top returnee in the event. Shepherd earned regional berths in the 400- and 800-meter runs while also competing on the 1,600 and 3,200 relays.

Cardwell gives the Kats a proven competitor in the hurdle races.

The sprints will be a strong point as usual with sophomore Tunisia Douglas running the 100 and 200 along with senior Whittney Sutton and junior Natalie Evans. Others back include Sierra Layman and India Jackson and several newcomers, including freshmen Kayla Drake and Mishilah Powell and sophomore Kyle Malone, could make an impact there as well.

"Mishilah is a jack of all trades who can fit in anywhere from the 400 down," Pettigrew said.

Along with Shepherd, sophomore Stephanie Kerner is another 400-800 possibility and classmate Kelly Janowski will run the 800 and 1,600. Senior Megan Tetrault leads the distance crew and freshmen Nicky Parry and Katie Cole will also help out.

Cardwell made huge leaps in improvement in the hurdles last season and she'll be joined by junior Keisha Smith-Powell, who is moving over from the sprints to run the highs, and freshman Jaime McCarter once she's healthy.

In the long jump, Drake, Layman, Evans and Jackson and Jackson could join Courtney Smith-Powell as could Mishilah Powell, who will definitely high jump. Sophomore Tiffany Williams is also back in the high jump. Janowski and junior Lindsay Preston will take on the pole vaulting duties.

Sophomore Kristen Pratt is showing "great improvement" in the shot put where she'll be joined by classmate Devan Carpenter and freshman Krystal Brazel while among those handling the discus will be juniors Jshanien Minor and Breyanna Glover and sophomore Amber Davis.

Eastern

Just 17 girls are out for the Comets and nearly half of them are freshmen. That in itself doesn't bother coach Dawn Harvey.

"Usually people look at being young as being a disadvantage. I have a strong team who happens to be young," she said. "Some of my strongest runners or those who have the potential to be some of strongest, are freshmen.

"We have a weakness in numbers -- not in talent -- and that's the hardest part."

Senior Crystal Barker will be joined by freshman Emily Rethlake in the distance events and both will run on the 3,200-meter relay team along with junior Jessica Muscari, and freshmen Danielle Stiner and Amanda Dean. Those three will concentrate on the 800, although Muscari may run the 1,600 at times.

Several girls could see action in the sprints with juniors Amanda Corder and Holly Graber (200), sophomores Kyrsti Wise (200), hurdler Jamie Fansler (200) and Shannon Williams, who is out for the first time, and freshmen Jessica Graber (100), Danielle Martin and Rebecca Woolley. Freshman Hailey Gosnell is just out for the squad.

The 400 relay could have senior hurdler Tonie Aleman, Corder, Fansler, Williams, Jessica Graber, Martin and Woolley.

In the 400 dash, the Comets are looking at Muscari, Holly Graber and possibly Wise. Others joining that group on the 1,600 relay could include Rethlake, Aleman, Corder, Stiner or Jessica Graber.

Kassia Heidebrecht, a senior, returns in the high jump although she may also help the team in some running events or the discus while junior Kasey Kemp is in the throws.

Corder and Graber return in the long jump and Williams is a possibility there while Stiner is the team's lone pole vaulter.

Northwestern

Twelve girls are back for Pete Schroer's Tiger squad, but the bad news is that there are just 19 girls on the team.

"We're going to be really short this year. We have a good group of girls so we'll just have to see where it all turns out," the veteran coach said. "We've got a good group of athletes. I like the athleticism of the girls in the freshman class and our sophomores who were able step in and gain experience last year. They're young and, if they want to work hard, the future will be whatever they make of it."

The Tigers have just two seniors with Melissa Hagmaier and Marla Stanforth.

The sprints should be one of their better areas with Hagmaier and sophomore Audrey Gaither returning. Helping out there will be freshman Lindsay Sewell. Two other freshmen -- Laura Roseberry and Megan Schubert -- are slated for the sprints as well.

Junior Lauren Sewell is the top returning runner in the distance events and she's coming off a strong cross country season. Sewell nearly set the school record in the 3,200 run last year.

"She's coming in this season in about as strong of shape as I've seen. Lauren is a promising highlight," Schroer said.

Stanforth sophomore Jackie Combs, junior Kasia Rada and freshman Jennifer Claudio will help out on the 3,200 relay and the middle distances. Claudio could also see action in some longer distances.

Gayle Brunner, a junior, returns in the hurdles while Lindsay Sewell will be looked at in the 400 along with sophomore Stephanie Williams. Combs is a candidate for the 1,600 relay as well.

In the field events, the Tigers will return Gaither and Hagmaier in the long jump and Roseberry could join them. Junior Rachel Atchison is the team's lone vaulter while her classmate, Megan Federspill, will be back in the high jump and Schubert is another possibility.

In the throws, Combs and junior Nikki Johnson are the top returnees in the shot put and sophomore Christine Denham will throw shot and discus. Sophomore Lauren Giesecke will also throw discus.

A freshman wildcard is Becki Lowden, who Schroer says has a considerable amount of versatility and he's exploring the best places to put her. She could see action in the sprints, throws or long and high jump. Sophomore Anastasia Trine is out for the first time and also exploring options.

Taylor

The Titans are looking strong in the early going as 13 of the 27 girls out are returning letterwinners.

"We're performing at a higher level than I expected. Everyone is working harder this year and I think some of that comes from last year," Titan coach Alan Tunmer said. "We were injured at the end of the year and didn't do as well in the county and conference as we thought we should. The girls are out to make amends.

"On a whole, they have high expectations. As long as they don't get injured and stay healthy, they'll be all right."

Junior Jamie Dunlap returns stronger and healthier as she anchors the Taylor sprinters. Dunlap will run the 100 and 200 dashes and anchor the 400 and 1,600 relays. Junior Lindsey Boyd will run the 100 while sophomores Jessica Wininger and Sharayah Head are in both short sprints. Classmate Danae Beavers is working the 200 and 400. Another sophomore, Bridgitte Mendenhall, will work the 400 dash.

Boyd, Wininger and senior Ashli Oliver round out the 400 relay. Mendenhall and Oliver join Dunlap and senior Jasmine Thomas on the 1,600 relay.

Thomas is also set to run the 300 hurdles and sophomores Lindsey Corbett and Brandi Jarrett are expected to run both the highs and lows.

Junior Danielle Glick tops the distance crew and she'll run the 1,600 and 3,200 as well as a leg of the 3,200 relay with freshman Courtney Dunlap, who Tunmer believes will help out considerably in the distances. Mendenhall and sophomore Erica Jones round out the 3,200 relay. Head could also run the 800.

Three other girls recovering from injuries will likely run longer races. Junior Morgan McWhorter, overcoming an ACL injury, looks to run the 800. Sophomores Karlee Miller, also coming off knee surgery, and Monica Ward, who broke her leg in soccer, may run the 1,600.

Returning in the high jump are Thomas, seniors Dara Minglin and Shavon Smith and junior Tiffany Fogleman. Fogleman will be joined in the long jump by Jarrett, Beavers and sophomore Erin Stackhouse.

Minglin is also the top vaulter on the team with Head and Stackhouse also competing there.

In the throws, senior Sami Glassburn leads the way with help from junior Montana Sunday, sophomores Samantha Hickey and Brittany Rahl and freshmen Taylor Allen (discus) and Andrea Dare (shot put).

Western

If there is one area where the Panthers are feeling comfortable, it's in the distance events.

The majority of the team's depth and experience comes from the group led by junior Annina Gruber. After qualifying for state in the 1,600, Gruber is looking for another June trip to Bloomington.

"Annina is a good leader and a role model. She still enjoys it and she works hard while having a good time," Western coach Peggy Obermeyer said. "She's willing to do anything. If I said, 'Annina, I need you to run the 100.' She would say, 'OK.'"

The junior standout will run the 800 and 1,600 and will also compete on the 3,200 relay with seniors Megan Clearwaters and Becky Elliott, junior Cassie Myer or possibly sophomore Anna Hurlock, a group the formed the core of the Panthers' cross country team.

Elliott will concentrate on the 800 while Clearwaters could run some longer distances. Myer and Hurlock are set for the 1,600.

"That group can run whatever we need them to run really," Obermeyer said.

The field events are also looking strong for the Panthers, who have 19 returning letterwinners among the 35 girls out.

Sophomore Chrystal Campbell will be counted on heavily in the throws where she'll be joined by seniors Emily Hooker, who returns after a year away, and first-year thrower Tracey Todd and freshman Liz Chandler.

The high jump sports sophomore Vanessa Aders along with freshman Morgan Legan with Myer, senior Ali Sears and sophomore Nicole Jackson working the pole vault. In the long jump, juniors Hannah Thieke and Rachel A. Smith are back as is Aders. Freshman Liz Elliott is expected to help there too.

"We have strength in the field events, even with many of them being sophomores and freshmen," the Western coach said. "They held their own in our first meet. The sprints is where we're hurting."

Much of that is because senior Tiffany Reida will be unable to compete due to back problems. The three-time all-county pick left the county meet with wins in the 100 and 200 dashes, the long jump and 400 relay before qualifying for the regional in the long jump.

Thieke returns in the sprints as do junior Rachel A. Smith and sophomore Rachel L. Smith. Hooker is a possibility in the 200 and Campbell could also see duty in the sprints along with freshman Elizabeth Erickson once she recovers from an injury.

The hurdles have sophomores Liz Hoppes and Laura Keyton coming back with senior Rachel Beeson and Sears. Hoppes could also run the 400 along with senior Ali Toney, who is injured, Lilly Elliott and Megan Legan.

"We're mostly freshmen," Obermeyer said of the 13-girl class. "Some of these girls didn't even run track in middle school so we're still matching them to events."