As girls track and field season heads outdoors, here are previews of teams from the Record Newspapers coverage area.

Newark

Coach: Nina Sittler

Top returning athletes: Malia Maddox, jr., long jump/200/relays; Kyla Wesseh, so., hurdles/400/relays; Kenzie Doss, jr., 400/800/relays; Anna Creps, jr., 400/800/relays.

Top new athletes: Saki Matsuycoma, sr.; Ines Riou-Bacar, sr.; Mandy Winninger, fr., sprints/shot put; Nora Johnson, fr., sprints/shot put/discus.

Worth noting: Newark is the two-time defending Little Ten Conference champions. Sittler said that while this year marks the beginning of a rebuilding phase, the Norsemen return four strong athletes who will help set the tone for the season. Maddox came just shy of qualifying for state last year. Maddox, Wesseh, Doss and Creps are expected to team up on a 4x400 relay with state-qualifying hopes.

“With no seniors on the roster, our juniors are stepping into key leadership roles, growing in both confidence and responsibility,” Sittler said. “Despite our small numbers, this team is defined by its character, determination and work ethic.

“That drive was already on display during the preseason, where our seven athletes earned a fourth-place finish at an eight-team indoor invitational – an early sign that this group is ready to compete.”

Oswego

Coach: James Cooper

Top athletes: Kenna Brereton, fr., jumps/hurdles/4x200 relay; Destiny Hicks, 4x200 relay; Riliegh Doy, 4x200 relay; Araceli Desimoni, 4x200 relay.

Worth noting: Brereton broke program indoor records in the long jump (16 feet, 9 inches), triple jump (36 feet, 7 inches) and the 60 hurdles (9.16 seconds). She currently is 21st in the state in the triple jump and 25th in the 60 hurdles. Cooper said the 4x200 team of Hicks, Doy, Brereton and Desimoni is getting better each meet and just ran a 1:45.89.

Oswego East

Coach: Steven Ideran

Returning state qualifiers: Layla Brisbon, sr., 100 hurdles/4x100 relay; Ava Karg, sr., pole vault; Avaya Kittling-Turner, jr., 4x100 relay; Kyla Moore, sr., 4x100 relay/4x200 relay; Kailynn Grinnell, jr., high jump; Lia Paribello, sr., discus; Jiana Busby, jr., 4x800.

Other notable returners: Julia Burney, sr., distance; Aaliyah Courts, sr., sprints; Molly Haye, sr., sprints; Carsyn Poindexter, sr., sprints; Autumn Wieczorek, sr., distance; Avery Beedles, jr., distance; Sienna Crissey, jr., throws; Natalya Hardy, jr., sprints; Morgan Haswell, jr., distance; Taylor Monahan, jr., hurdles; Makayla O’Neal-Jenkins, jr., sprints; Addy Sims, jr., sprints and jumps; Audrey Cheney, so., distance; Aniya Gonzalez, so., sprints; Ma’Kiyah Johnson, so., sprints; Mariana Ocon, so., distance; Naya Okwueze, so., throws.

Top new athletes: Ivy Adams, fr., jumps/sprints; Aaliyah Asbell, fr., distance; Arianna Cummings, fr., throws; Zeah Manalodi, fr., distance; Brooke Overstreet, sr., throws; Julia Robb, fr., distance; Dominique Salas, fr., sprints; Austynne Smith, fr., sprints; Justice Taylor, fr., sprints; Kaylee Thatcher, fr., distance.

Worth noting: The Wolves in 2025 had the most state qualifiers in program history with three relays and six individuals after taking second at the Southwest Prairie Conference outdoor meet. Karg was an All-State eighth in the pole vault. During indoor season Oswego East won the Batavia Invite and was fourth at the SPC indoor meet. Brisbon won the 55 hurdles at indoor conference and Kittling-Turner the long jump with Brisbon second in the 60 dash, Paribello second in the shot put and Sims second in the long jump. Brisbon was fifth in the 60 hurdles at the Illinois Indoor championships.

“We talk about the fact that our depth defines our program and that should hold true again this year,” Ideran said.

Plano

Coach: Leann Teckenbrock

Top returning athletes: Kaylee Klatt, sr., hurdles/sprints/relays; Mia Salsbery, sr., sprints/relays; Aliyah Reyna, sr., distance; Kayla Dunn, jr., thrower; Jazelle Harris, so., thrower; Nyasia Hambrick, so., thrower.

Top new athletes: Ashley Cid, fr., thrower; Viviana Cervantes, so., 4x200 relay; Jayda Burau, so., 4x200 relay; Brianna Johnson, 4x200 relay; Corrine Kostelaz, so., 4x200 relay; Fernanda Alamo, fr., long jump/800/4x400 relay; Taziah Canfield, fr., high jump/sprinter.

Worth noting: This year’s team is one of the youngest Plano has had in recent memory, with more than half the roster being freshmen and sophomores. The Reapers took sixth last year in the Kishwaukee River Conference. Klatt is a returning runner in the all-conference 4x200 relay and also is a strong hurdler. Salsbery, a member of the relay team last year, is taking on a leadership role with the sprints and Reyna has emerged as one of the strongest members of the distance crew. Dunn is a third-year thrower that broke several personal records during indoor season.

“We believe we have the potential to be among the top teams in our conference by May,” Teckenbrock said. “To reach that level, the most important factors will be staying healthy and continuing to improve week to week. If we remain attentive to the little things and continue to build confidence as a team, we expect to be highly competitive throughout the season.”

Sandwich

Coach: Emma Schoonover

Top returning athletes: Sunny Weber, sr., distance; Alayla Harris, hurdles/throws; Delanie Card, sprints; Kayla Kressin, distance; Emily Urbanski, distance.

Worth noting: Weber begins the final season of a sensational high school career. The Duke commit is the two-time defending champion in the 3,200, won the 1,600 last year in a Class 2A state record time and last fall repeated as state cross country champion. She took sixth in the 3,200 at the New Balance Nationals indoor meet in March. Harris and Card are also returning state qualifiers, and Kressin and Urbanski ran on the state-qualifying 4x800 relay.

“This is my first year with the program, and while it is a small team, we have a lot of hard workers who I think will make a lot of personal growth over the course of the year,” Schoonover said. “Together with some strong newcomers coming off of the cross country season, like Natalie Walsh and Isla Stevens, I think the distance squad will have a very good year again.

Across the entire program, I think these girls will have huge gains and perform well this year."

Yorkville

Coach: Don Spencer

Top returning athletes: Athena Triner, so., distance; Annabelle Reeder, sr., distance; Aaliyah Stewart, jr., sprint relays/300 hurdles; Janae Stewart, jr., sprint relays/400; Niah Kallan, jr., sprint relays/long jump; Tess Muth, so., sprint relays/400; Taylynn Stewart, sr., hurdles; Hailey Kovaka, sr., high jump; Natalia Marungo, sr., jumps/hurdles; D’Vine Wright, jr., sprints/sprint relays; Janilah Smith, jr., sprints/sprint relays; Rachel Rotramel, so., distance.

Top new athletes: Marin Rockford, fr., hurdles/sprints/sprint relays; Destiny Reng, fr., hurdles; Linden Moss, so., distance; Ellie Meyers, fr., middle distance; Collins Overturf, fr., middle distance; Paige Timm, jr., distance

Worth noting: Triner and Reeder return from the sectional champion and state-qualifying 4x800 relay. Triner comes off a strong indoor season that included a new personal record in the 1,600 at the Illinois Indoor Championships. The 4x400 looks to return to state with the same team of Aaliyah Stewart, Janae Stewart and Kallan with the addition of Muth. Wright broke indoor records in the 55, 60 and 200 and was part of a record-breaking 4x200 relay with Smith, Aaliyah Stewart and Janae Stewart. Kovaka has already hit the outdoor state high jump mark during the indoor season.

Yorkville Christian

Coach: Jeff Schutt

Top returning athletes: Paige Gillman, sr., hurdles; Alice Gavin.

Top new athletes: Kate DiQui, jr.; Chloe Fredrickson, fr.

Worth noting: The Mustangs have 10 girls out for track this spring. Gillman, a two-sport spring athlete who also plays softball, leads the way as a hurdler for the team. DiQui, Fredrickson and Gavin will allow the Mustangs to enter some relays.