> SOUTHERN INDIANA — BORDEN

COACH: Liz Carmony

RETURNING VARSITY RUNNERS: Brian Eurton (Sr.), Michael Lynch (Sr.), Shane Little (Sr.), Nathen Magallanes (Jr.), George Tipker (Jr.), Brian McGee (Jr.), Gavin Tipker (So.), Andrew Stonecipher (So).

KEY VARSITY NEWCOMERS: David Wright (So.), Julien Magallanes (Fr.), Will Little (Fr.).

OUTLOOK: Borden is the favorite to win the Southern Athletic Conference and to advance out of sectional again. It has the ability to get out of regional, which it came 11 points away from doing a season ago. Honestly, this team has potential to accomplish even more.

COACH CARMONY SAYS: “With all of our runners returning and [some] great new additions, we hope to have a successful season this year. We are hoping that with our experience and motivation, our team will be very competitive this season. It will take commitment, hard work and an injury-free season for us to have a successful season.”



CHARLESTOWN

COACH: Jerry Doyle

RETURNING VARSITY RUNNERS: Brett Brooks (Jr.).

KEY VARSITY NEWCOMERS: Shawn Green (Sr.), Jacob Wood (So.), Tyler Peterson (So.).

OUTLOOK: Doyle has high expectations for Brooks, the Pirates’ only returning starter. With only four varsity runners as of today, Doyle is hoping to pick up a few more as school starts to field an entire team.

COACH DOYLE SAYS: “My expectations for Brett are to see him lower his times from last year. Brett, Jacob and Tyrell are all capable of posting good times. Shawn is new to distance running but is working hard and setting personal goals. I have a great group of kids. I know [they] will encourage and challenge each other.”



FLOYD CENTRAL

COACH: Tim Korte

RETURNING VARSITY RUNNERS: Kahler Davis (Sr.), Zach Doebbler (Jr.), Grant Reynolds (Jr.), Luke Uhl (So.).

KEY VARSITY NEWCOMERS: Reese Tarr (Jr.), Alec Heitz (So.), Mike White (Fr.).

OUTLOOK: With some strong runners returning, including Doebbler, who was 22nd at last year’s sectional, the Highlanders have high expectations for this season. With dominant North Harrison and New Albany losing the majority of their runners, Floyd hopes to compete for its first sectional crown since 2008.

COACH KORTE SAYS: “Our goals for the season are to win sectional and compete for a spot at state. We will need to compete against each other on the team and make our four and five runner close the gap to our [No. 3 runner].”



HENRYVILLE

COACH: Brad Nifong

RETURNING VARSITY RUNNERS: Koleton Freitas (Jr.), Jacob Hedrick (So.), Zach Knox (So.), Chris Flaherty (So.).

KEY VARSITY NEWCOMERS: Tyler Jenkins (Sr.), Christian Smith (So.).

OUTLOOK: With a complete team this year, expectations are higher for the Hornets. With Jeffersonville out of the sectional, Nifong believes his team has what it takes to compete for the fifth spot — and a regional berth — in the Southwestern Sectional.

COACH NIFONG SAYS: “We need commitment from kids to put in the work in the summer months.”



JEFFERSONVILLE

COACH: Mark Felix

RETURNING VARSITY RUNNERS: Tyrell Dowdell (Sr.), Oscar DeLeon (Sr.), Caleb Hawes (Sr.).

KEY VARSITY NEWCOMERS: Jasi Coureur (Sr.).

OUTLOOK: Jeff lost two of its top three runners from last year’s team that advanced to the Crawford County regional. Still, Felix believes his team — led by the talented Dowdell, who is a runner capable of running well in any event from the 100 meters to a 5K — could be stronger in 2012. Felix believes his team has four strong runners and needs a fifth to come forward to advance from the stronger Crawford County Sectional, to which it has been moved from Southwestern.

COACH FELIX SAYS: “I’d really, really like to make a run at semistate. None of these guys have been as a team. It will be hard to get out of this sectional, but I think we’re going to surprise some people this year. I’d also like to see Tyrell get to state.”



NEW ALBANY

COACH: Paul Hamilton

RETURNING VARSITY RUNNERS: Drew Hirsch (Sr.).

KEY VARSITY NEWCOMERS: Matt Sogge (Fr.).

OUTLOOK: Hamilton isn’t sure who the rest of his varsity runners will be after two very strong runners in Hirsch and Sogge. Hirsch was eighth at the Crawford Sectional and 10th at the regional a year ago, and Sogge is a “good athlete.”

COACH HAMILTON SAYS: “We’re going to have to see what we’re going to be able to do. They have to prove themselves. They’ve come in and worked hard, but it’s a young group. We will definitely improve throughout the season. Our girls teams have proven that anything can happen when you stick to it.”



NEW WASHINGTON

COACH: Jon May

RETURNING VARSITY RUNNERS: Adan Diaz (Sr.), Ian Hughes (Sr.), Jacob Franklin (Jr.), James Clemens (So.), Matthew Mosley (So.).

KEY VARSITY NEWCOMERS: Cameron Marshall (Sr.), Yancey Crace (Sr.), Devin Herron (Jr.)

OUTLOOK: Diaz and Hughes return to lead a team that expects to place in the top-half of the SAC and challenge for the fifth spot in the Southwestern Sectional and a spot in the regional.

COACH MAY SAYS: “We want to improve our finish in the conference and the sectional meets and place individuals on the all-conference team and [get] into the regional meet. We need strong leadership from our two returning seniors and mental toughness in fighting through fatigue.”



PROVIDENCE

COACH: Chuck Crowley

RETURNING VARSITY RUNNERS: Murphy Sheets (Sr.), Lincoln Ottersbach (Jr.), Alex Grove (Jr.), Spencer Mitchell (Jr.), Nate Shumate (So.).

KEY VARSITY NEWCOMERS: None.

OUTLOOK: The Pioneers have placed seventh in the tough Crawford County Regional field the past two seasons — two spots from advancing. The field got even tougher with Jeffersonville’s move, but Providence has five strong returning runners and may compete for a top-five spot.

COACH CROWLEY SAYS: “The past couple of years, we’ve been seventh in the sectional and it’s hard for us to get [into the top five]. I’m pretty confident this year we can [advance]. We ran pretty hard over the summer. We have very high expectations.”



SILVER CREEK

COACH: Darrell Kingery

RETURNING VARSITY RUNNERS: Isaak Haas (Sr.), Drew Roberts (Sr.), Evan Strom (Sr.), Tanner Coots (So.), Morgan Davidson (So.), Tyler Priddy (So.), Andrew Westfall (Fr.).

KEY VARSITY NEWCOMERS: None.

OUTLOOK: The Dragons won last year’s Southwestern Sectional comfortably for their ninth crown in 12 years. With everyone returning from last year’s team, Creek is a significant favorite for another title in 2012. After finishing fourth in last year’s regional, the Dragons should be a contender to get to the state meet in Terre Haute.

COACH KINGERY SAYS: “The four seniors have been to the semistate two of the last three years and they want to make the next step to the state meet this year. All of our younger runners are capable of helping out the top four, but we need to close the gap between No. 4 runner and our fifth, sixth and seventh runners. We have had some sickness and our No. 1 runner [Isaak Haas] is recovering from a stress fracture, so our young runners will be tested early and we look forward to that challenge.”