Perry girls track head coach Matt Hardy and assistant Jeff Fox enter the 2017 season with 37 girls on the roster, and group that is weighted with experienced and talented upperclassmen.
Ten seniors and nine juniors will dress for the Jayettes, with six sophomores and 12 freshman joining them.
Senior Emma Olejniczak returns to the lineup as the only Jayette to compete in the state meet last season, where she finished 21st in the 400.
Juniors Breanna Penenger, Grace Stewart and Sid Vancil, along with Olejncizak, were the top four point-scorers for Perry last season and figure to be again this spring.
“The strength of our team will be in the middle distances (400 and 800) and the distance races (1500 and 3000),” Hardy said. “As in the past, the hurdle events and the jumping events are the biggest question marks right now, while the long jump and high jump remain works in progress.”
Senior Adrian Thompson returns as the most experienced thrower in the field events. Katelyn Thomason, Rylynn Gilmore and Sydney Helmers will also have opportunities to secure varsity spots in the shot put and discus.
“The 4×800 and 4×400 will be out two strongest relays,” Hardy said. “The lineup for the events will shuffle from meet to meet, with Vancil, Penenger, Olejniczak and Stewart, along with senior Haley Vaughn, the 4×800 team. The same girls could see duties in the 4×400, with Isabel Saemisch, Damaris Robles and a few others in the mix as well.”
The Perry thinclads will open their outdoor season Thursday with a coed meet when they host the 10th annual Davis Family Relays at Kaufman Track.
