Despite a small team, head coach Steve George is expecting the girls’ indoor track team to be competitive.
Little victories are what the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ indoor track team is striving for this winter.
“I will feel our season will be a success if our small team of 32 girls can win five to seven events each week,” said sixth-year head coach Steve George. “A small team by its nature has difficulty winning meets due to the sports scoring method of five, three and one point for first, second and third places in each event.”
Despite fielding a team of just 32 girls, George’s expectations aren’t any lower.
“I expect our girls to rise to the occasion,” said George, whose club finished 0-5 last season. “We have a small team, but each of its members are very competitive.”
In the distance events, it will be sophomore Myah Kamperides and junior Anna Sullivan leading the way for W-H. In the mid-distance events, senior Tori Boss and junior Izzy Amado will each run the 1,000-meter run, 600-meter run and 4×400 relay. In the long sprints, seniors Ryley Hurley and senior captain Courtney Woodward could make an impact in the 300-meter dash and possibly the 600-meter run. Senior captain Samantha Perkins, junior Emma Rogers and sophomore April Keyes are expected to make an impact in the sprinting and hurdling events.
As for departures, George knows he has his hands full with the graduations of Ally Bartlett and Dorothy DiMascio-Donohue. Bartlett scored nearly 40 percent of W-H’s points last winter, while DiMascio-Donohue competed in the indoor pentathlon.
“I don’t know that I can replace [them],” George said. “They scored a lot of points for us last year in sprints, hurdles, jumps and relays.”
George said he believes this year’s strength will the 300-meter dash and 600-meter run, while he’d like to improve his team’s relay skills.
“With a small squad, most of our kids are needed in two individual running events, so it leaves us a little lacking in the relays,” George said. “There is nothing more disappointing than being close in a meet going into the relays and knowing you can’t win those events.”
W-H returns to action Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 3:45 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center against Hingham and Silver Lake.
“What I’m really hoping for is that we can achieve a lot of little victories, and the success stories on our team result in those kids promoting this great sport and in increased participation in the coming years,” George said.