CHARLESTON – With a roster full of talented young runners, DeKalb girls track and field coach Tywon Green said this year was about the Barbs making progress.

After having two members on the medal podium at the Class 3A Girls Track and Field State Meet in 2016, the Barbs had five Saturday.

DeKalb’s 400- and 800-meter relays both finished in fifth place in the finals at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Stadium, and the Barbs don’t graduate anybody from either relay next year.

“Just a great, great difference from last year,” Green said. “We got five all-staters. Every year we’re going to get better as a program. It’s cool to see the girls on the podium. It’s just the start of what we want to do as a program.”

In the 400 relay, the Barbs’ team of junior Kmaris Kirkwood, freshman Kyra Ozier and juniors Mirea Martinez-Fashola and Bri Buggs were seeded fifth and ended up placing fifth with a time of 48.57 – behind O’Fallon (47.55), Romeoville (47.67), Chicago Kenwood (47.88) and Belleville West (48.28).

“I’m not mad or anything,” Buggs said after finishing as the anchor leg of the 400 relay. “I feel like we did really well.”

In the 800 relay, the Barbs’ team of Kirkwood, Martinez-Fashola, junior Sierra Long and Buggs came in fifth with a time of 1:42.32 – behind O’Fallon (1:38.58), Romeoville (1:39.42), Homewood-Flossmoor (1:41.55) and East St. Louis (1:41.64). Last season, the Barbs’ 2017 time of 1:42.32 would have been good enough for third place in Class 3A.

“I was hoping the 4x2 would finish a little bit higher, but these are some crazy times these girls are running,” Green said. “It’s cool to be in that group. The East St. Louises, the Homewood-Flossmoors, Belleville, O’Fallon – who’s historically one of the best programs – and then you have little DeKalb. It’s cool to have DeKalb in that company. If we can stay in that company, it shows we’re building the program.”

Green said the goal now is to become not just “little DeKalb.” The Barbs have given plenty of reason for optimism, qualifying for the state meet in nine separate events – with none of them graduating.

Sophomore distance runner Katherine Olsen made state in the 800 and 1,600, freshman Brianna Barwick made the 300 hurdles, Buggs was 0.05 seconds away from qualifying for the finals of the 200, Ozier made the 400, and junior Jasmine Kemp qualified in the high jump – although none of them made the finals.

Last season, the Barbs won their first sectional title, and this season they nearly won their first conference title in three decades and took second place in the Class 3A sectional. Looking ahead to 2018, Green said the Barbs’ goals are lofty.

“The expectation is we better win conference next year, we better win the sectional next year, we better get better in the top five in state next year,” Green said. “Every year, it’s going to get harder and harder to beat what we did the previous year, and that’s what we want.”