By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Bedford North Lawrence is in the beginning stages of a youth movement. The trick will be getting those youngsters to move, and improve, at a high rate of speed.
With only one senior and four juniors on the roster of 27 athletes, with virtually no returning experience from last year’s regional qualifiers, the Stars will count on a lot of “yutes” (as Joe Pesci stated in the classic My Cousin Vinny) to leave squeal-the-tire tracks on the 2024 season.
“There are a lot of freshmen and sophomores coming in, which is good,” BNL coach Jason Webb said. “They will be here for a while to build something. We just need to keep them out, all four years. With hard work they might be able to see that success to keep them coming back.”
Savanna Evans is the lone upperclassman, while Francesca Orozco, Emma Allender, Lexi Kiser and Trinity Schmeichel comprise the small junior class. Sophomore sprinter Rose Dusard is the only runner back with regional experience as a member of last year’s 400 relay squad. So the door is ajar for someone to claim an event as their own.
“It’s wide open,” Webb said. “We did time trials, and there are a lot of people within a few tenths of a second of each other.”
Webb expects significant contributions from Orozco and Jabrie Sullivan in the distance races, from Schmeichel in the hurdles, from Harryson Hayes and Macey Lambrecht in the shot put and discus, with Dusard and Madison Chandler adding versatility for multiple events. Everything else will be a work in progress as the Stars sort out the best possible lineups.
“With the youth, I think we’ll see a lot of improvement, just being able to build their technique and their form,” Webb said. “We talk about things and see it carry over, while they are running. They might not have heard of things before, but they are applying it.”
BNL will start the season at Bloomington North on April 2.
