A flurry of postponements ushered in the 2015 girls track and field season and carried over into spring break, leaving most of the five Howard County schools seeing very little outdoor action.

That won’t be the case when teams return from break next week to a packed schedule as the season kicks into high gear.

"After spring break, we have one day to get ready and then it’s like a three-week sprint," first-year Kokomo head coach Jay Karp said. "When you look at the schedule as a coach to determine how many days you can run your girls hard, up to the week of the [North Central] conference meet, there is really only one day where we can run our kids hard."

Defending Mid-Indiana Conference and sectional champion Northwestern returns eight girls who will work with upwards of 10 incoming freshmen. For Kokomo, 11 letterwinners return to a squad that lists twice as many underclassmen as upperclassmen on its roster.

In varying degrees, Eastern, Taylor and Western face the same balancing act as top-tier experience returns to work with new faces.

Following are looks at each of the five area schools, in alphabetical order.

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EASTERN

Senior Avery Ewing, along with her sister, sophomore Arienna Ewing, and junior Carly Jones form a triple threat that will lead the Comets into Michael Goodspeed's 10th year as coach.

"Where we're strongest at is wherever the Ewing sisters and Carly Jones are at," Goodspeed said. "We're pretty tough in all things middle-distance related. That's the strength of our team. And Arienna Ewing helps us fill some other areas as well where we feel like we're lacking a little depth."

Eastern knocked off defending champ Northwestern 76-56 in the season opener for both squads. Arienna Ewing was a quadruple winner in that meet, taking first in the pole vault and 100 and 300 hurdles individually. Avery Ewing and Jones were triple winners, with Avery taking first individually in the 400 dash and 800 run and Jones taking first in the 1,600 and 3,200 run.

Three other seniors who look to figure prominently into the Comets' success are high jumper Alicia Eckart along with throwers Danielle Reed in the shot put and Jenny Keith in the discus.

Goodspeed also noted that another senior, Daisy Byers, is "a utility girl that really helps our depth."

"This is, for a small school, a pretty solid team," Goodspeed said. "We do have a lot of talent, especially in upperclassmen, and we are trying to add depth with some younger girls."

Sophomore Kaylee Gebhart was a double winner in the Comets' opener, going 14-5 in the long jump and running a leg of the winning 400 relay. Junior Maya Valadez looks to be a factor in relays, while sophomore Addie Powell will help with depth in the high jump and pole vault and another sophomore — Sydnie Hill — will help out in distance.

Freshmen Cassie Williams, Dakota Carlson, Olivia Vogl, and Andrea Larson will add depth to the squad in relays and middle distance.

"We expect to finish in the top half of our conference," Goodspeed said. "The goals are pretty simple. We want to just get better every meet, try to win the conference, and vie again for a sectional title."

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KOKOMO

Following a third consecutive runner-up finish at last year's sectional, the Kats are ready to kick it up a notch.

"We definitely have our sights set to peak in May and go after the NCC championship and claim a sectional title," Karp said. "It's a very inexperienced team that will have to get experience on the fly. Hopefully, that passion and love for competition will drive them to better themselves."

Karp will rely on 12 upperclassmen, as well as his assistant coaches — Chad Salinas, Emily Boyd, and Aaron Alexander — to balance 24 underclassmen. Additionally, Karp has brought former coach Dave Barnes into the mix.

"He has been my mentor so it was a no-brainer that I wanted him," Karp said. "We have 11 letterwinners coming back. Probably the most notable duo out of that group are junior Deju Miller and sophomore Lana Pham. Lana sustained a knee injury and it may affect her ability to participate this season. I'm not writing her off yet."

Miller, a three-time indoor state qualifier who also placed fourth in the high jump at the Fort Wayne Northrop Regional last year, will be big in the 200 dash as well as the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

Seniors Jania Eddington and Mykayla Fowler will be leaned on for points as well as leadership. Eddington is a captain who will be counted on in short distance and relays. Fowler will lead an otherwise fairly inexperienced throwing group. A third senior, Katherine Harbaugh, is a hard worker that the team will rely upon for additional leadership.

"She has done a tremendous job," Karp said of Eddington. "Of the 37 or 38 girls on the roster, most of the sophomores and juniors are participating in their first year of track. She has really taken those girls under her wing. I couldn’t ask for a better captain than Eddington."

Junior Taylor Coram and sophomore Cinnamon Andrews will also figure prominently into the fold. Karp said Coram will be relied on "heavily. She’s a jack of all trades. She’s done everything from sprinting to hurdling to long jumping. She’s trying the pole vault out this year too. We can rely on her in a lot of things. Her versatility is what makes her so special to us. She can do so many things."

With Andrews, "she is only a sophomore but she’s already run two years of cross country and a year of distance with track," Karp said. "With the young distance crew that we have, she is by far the de facto leader of that group. She’s put in the time and mileage and she’s the best we have as far as a young leader. Despite her age, she’s done a good job of leading."

Other key individuals Karp sees as capable of scoring points include juniors Kirsten Frey and Nabria Richardson, sophomores Brooke Smith and Ja'Lyn Thompson, and freshmen Nicole Erny and Aaryan Morrison. Frey is a hurdler who can do the long jump as well, Richardson will be a key cog in the sprints and Smith provides versatility with her ability to run the 200 or 400 as well as participate in the pole vault. Thompson will be a key sprinter and long jumper. Erny will likely be involved in hurdles and mid distance, while Morrison looks to be a 200 or 400 sprinter.

"I’m looking forward to competing with this young group," Karp said. "With just three seniors, I think we’re still going to be competing. I always tell the girls I want them to beat their best. As long as they are trying to be better every day than they were yesterday, they will be okay."

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NORTHWESTERN

The Tigers return several pieces of the puzzle that earned the program's first sectional title last year. Throw in the fact that Northwestern will play host to the sectional this year, and Mary Clem's squad is pumped for the season.

"We're really excited to host sectionals," Clem said. "The girls coming back, after winning last year, are really hungry. They want to repeat as sectional champs."

The Tigers return eight individuals from last year's championship squad. Of those, senior Tearsten Munson is back following a sixth-place finish in the 200 dash at the Northrop Regional, while sectional high jump champ Hannah Ballard returns for her senior season as well. Junior Brooke Treadway returns after throwing her way to second place in the shot put and third in the discus in the sectional.

"It's a pretty good group coming back," Clem said. "Having such a strong core of returning upperclassmen is our greatest strength. That's where we're strong, the experience we return. Munson worked all winter conditioning. It's just a good core returning."

Clem also pointed to ten or 12 freshmen who look like they could have a strong showing this season. At the top of that heap is Kate Bilkey, a distance runner who is already showing great strength as just a freshman.

"She's the one standing out right now, and will run the 1,600, 3,200 and 4x800 relay," Clem said. "Then there are nine to 11 other freshmen who look good. They just need to get some more confidence. Training some of the new girls, that's been a focus so far."

Cue the returning core, and the experience gained in earning last year's sectional title.

"It's wonderful because the girls can tell them how hard they have to work to get there," Clem said. "The girls who are back have been spending a lot of time bringing the younger girls along."

Munson will run the 100, 200 and 400 sprints, while Ballard is back at the high jump and Treadway returns to throwing. Returning seniors Christine Dewherst and Rachel Johns will both run middle distance, and Hannah Wilson is back on hurdles. A pair of sophomores also return to the mix in Tory Combs and Abby Olsen. Combs will be a thrower, and Olsen will run sprints.

After dropping its season opener to Eastern, Northwestern is looking to bounce back after break.

"We lost, but like I told the girls, it was a good loss if there ever was such a thing because I saw where girls could improve and saw them hungry afterwards," Clem said. "They didn’t come out defeated but with an attitude of 'we’ll get them next time.' I really think just getting into some meets is what’s going to do it for those younger girls. They’ve just got to get the experience and we’ve just got to see who fits where. As long as we can keep everyone healthy, we are excited."

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TAYLOR

Five Titans return to a squad that coach Nick Weicht saw make improvements last season.

"Last season, like any other, had some high points and some disappointments," Weicht said. "The clear high point of last season was Cami Hansen's accomplishment of making it to the Northrop regional in the 1,600 meter run. We had small numbers, but we had some greater team success than in the previous few seasons."

Weicht hopes to see Taylor continue the upward swing for a squad again low on numbers with 16 names on the roster, but high on experience with Hansen, a junior, leading the Titans' returning core.

"I see our distance being strong just by the presence of Cami," Weicht said. "She is an infectious worker. She puts in all of the miles and works to improve each practice and each day on her own."

In addition to Hansen, other returning athletes are senior Taylor Pemberton in middle distances and high jump, junior Paige Welsh in middle distances and the 1,600, junior Hannah Mullinax in sprints and jumps, and senior Ashley Nguyen.

"Apart from those young ladies, the rest of the team is new athletes," Weicht said. "Pemberton has really improved over her four years as an athlete for us. She really wants to do well in the 400 and high jump. She started high jumping over the summer and has really caught on quickly. She's jumping well now, and we think she still has a lot of room to improve this season."

Weicht pointed to a couple new faces hungry to make some noise out of the gate.

"Chloe Sullivan, a junior, is still learning to hurdle but she is catching on quickly and putting the work in to improve a lot this season," Weicht said. "We have several throwers, but most of them are new to track. Our one thrower with experience is Aiden Richter, a freshman, who has been throwing pretty well and improving. Kynzie Rayls, a junior, and Vanessa Horne, a sophomore, are catching on quickly in the shot put. Rayls began throwing really well once she learned the proper technique."

Taylor split a pair of outdoor meets before the break, falling to Western and besting Tri-Central. Pemberton and Hansen were triple winners against Tri-Central. Sullivan won the 100 hurdles in both meets while Rayls swept the throwing events against TC.

"I've been really happy with the work the girls have put in so far and the general attitude of the team thus far into the season," Weicht said. "They are a fun group of girls and we have a lot of room to improve."

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WESTERN

Brandon Shawhan is no stranger to the girls track program, having assisted a few years back, but now he'll field his first squad as head coach.

Much of that squad's success will revolve around a pair of returning seniors in Nicole Hampshire and Madi Shepherd, along with junior Ellie Rush.

"Individually, those will be three big contributors right off the bat for us," Shawhan said. "Those are the ones I know will cover a lot of events. Nicole is definitely going to do a lot of good things, she's going to give us a lot of leverage distance-wise. Madi will be in that mix with sprints."

Hampshire and Shepherd were quadruple winners in the Panthers' season-opening win against Taylor. Rush, who was sick and missed that meet, will be looked on to perform well in the hurdles.

"This is just a great group of girls," Shawhan said. "They are hard workers, fun to be around, and they are excited to get into the season. I think we have a lot of bright spots and will be solid all the way through. I think there are some girls who are going to come out of the woodwork and really surprise us. We have some girls who will do pretty well in the sprints and hurdles. Distance-wise, we have a number of freshman who I think will improve over the course of the season."

Shawhan pointed to five upperclassmen that will be relied upon. Senior Miranda Pressgrove is the top high jumper, while junior Taylor Nunan is the top pole vaulter. Juniors Kim Miller and Azhane Beard will be strong throwers. Miller was the Panthers' top shot putter last season, and Beard will focus much of her efforts on the discus. Junior Erin Knepley will be solid in middle distance.

Additionally, sophomore Reagan Ritchie will likely be a big contributor in mid-distance events.

"Those will be some of our top girls, but we also have a strong core of girls that can add a lot of extra depth that we're going to need this year," Shawhan said.

Shawhan sees a well-rounded group that he believes will improve as the season progresses.

"It's hard to pinpoint one area where we're strongest, and that's a good thing," Shawhan said. "We don't want it to be just one area of the team. The whole goal is for everyone to make some big strides. All in all, in order to get to the top, everybody is just going to have to focus on hitting some higher standards. Right now, it's about getting better every meet. We'll put ourselves in the mix by doing that."