Veteran leadership anchors both lineups, as head coaches Kyle Galetich and Dan Brodie have spent the preseason piecing together events and relays heading into the co-ed opener at Ballard.

“I think our depth will be a strength this year,” said Galetich, who is in his second season leading the Hawk boys. “We have a lot of guys returning who, I’m hoping, can take a step forward and make us more competitive in terms of team points and winning meets.

“I think the biggest area (of necessary improvement) is with the hurdles — finding some guys who would like to try them and fill those spots on the team.”

The feature races for South Hamilton a year ago were the 4×400 and sprint medley relay teams. The 4×4 captured a state championship, and returns all of its components: senior Ty Koehnk, senior Reece Ricke, junior Nick Severseike and sophomore Kolby Hodnefield.

SOUTH HAMILTON BOYS TRACK RETURNING LETTERWINNERS are, front row (left to right): Bobby Tapper, Carter Stolee, Reece Ricke, Ty Koehnk, Kole Feaker, Jonathan Drake and Pete Coburn. Back: Kolby Hodnefield, Kaden Schwandt, Landon Greufe, Nick Severseike, Laken Zanker, Thomas Wirth and Jagger Ferrie. (DFJ photo by Angela Hewitt)

Hodnefield, Ricke, Seversieke and Koehnk took first at state in the 4×400 and sixth in the 4×200. Hodnefield, Severseike, Koehnk and senior Jonathan Drake were sixth in the sprint medley relay as well.

“They are a more experienced group now, and they can focus on being leaders to the younger guys,” Galetich said of the quintet.

Galetich is also keeping an eye on some of his younger, more inexperienced athletes as the spring progresses.

“Right now it’s early, but by the end of the year, I think we will have some young guys who will contribute to our varsity lineup,” Galetich said. “Our goals are to win as many meets as we can during the season, and by the end of the year, have guys in the right positions to qualify as many events as possible for the state meet.”

Senior Kaden Schwandt, senior Landon Greufe, senior Laken Zanker, senior Bobby Tapper, senior Carter Stolee, senior Kole Feaker, senior Pete Coburn, junior Thomas Wirth and junior Jagger Ferrie are the other returning letterwinners for the Hawk boys.

The South Hamilton girls have seniors Tanna Thompson and Ashlyn Erickson back with state experience, alongside senior Grace Neuberger, junior Sydnee Flaugh, junior McKenna Miller, sophomore Daytona Ferrie and sophomore Isabel Swenson.

Senior Makena Galetich, who missed last year with an injury, also returns.

“We are lucky to have a great group of seniors to lead our team,” Brodie said. “Ashlyn and Tanna have had special careers so far, and they embody what we preach every day to the younger girls in terms of how to approach practice and manage meets and expectations. We are also very excited to have a healthy Makena back and ready to roll this season. I think you would be hard-pressed to find a mentally tougher kid than Makena.

“Sydnee is a junior that broke out (in 2023) and adds state experience. We also return state qualifiers in Grace, Isabel and Daytona. McKenna also has (prior) state experience. All of these girls lead by example. They demonstrate leadership by how they prepare, how they compete, and how they respond to difficult moments.”

There are 28 athletes on the Hawks’ roster, and Brodie said “it takes every single one of them to work hard in practice and prepare themselves to help our team find success on meet day.”

Senior Kendra Hoversten, senior Taylor Swanson, sophomore Erin Greenfield, sophomore Sara Scheller, sophomore Claire Hewitt, sophomore Brooklyn Doolittle, sophomore Kaylen Trask, sophomore Abby Moline, sophomore Lillie Ammerman and sophomore Olivia Beaune also lettered a year ago.

“I am excited for our entire sophomore class,” Brodie said. “We have several girls that look ready to take the next step and compete (at the varsity level). We also have some freshmen that will get into the mix and help us secure team points in relays and individual events.

“We will have strong sprinters this season. Our sprint relays will be a focus for team points, but we also have returning experience in the field events. We have a lot of girls that can be interchanged within relays and we can still find team success.”

Brodie sees his squad’s long-term potential, but “every girl needs to focus on how to improve every single day.”

“It’s a long season and everyone will ride some ups and downs,” Brodie said. “Every practice and every meet is an opportunity for us to improve.

“Our only goal is growth. We need to grow each day and better understand the process to success. I’m sure every girl has personal goals that they want to achieve, but as a team, we try to focus more on understanding the process and using it to compete at the highest level in May.”