Last spring, Littleton edged Loveland in the state 4x400. The 4x400 figures to be the competitive core of the team once again for Littleton this year. Photo by Paul Jaeger.
Littleton has a long history as a track and field powerhouse. Nothing about that figures to change this spring. Jenna Adams and her 10 pole vault points are gone, but Littleton probably figures to improve on their 37 state points from last spring.
A big key for Littleton, however, will be staying healthy this spring. Injuries cramped their style just a bit by the time state rolled around last spring.
While the pole vault will miss Jenna Adams, Littleton retains some live fire in the event. Colleen McAnallen (10-3) and Elizabeth Kelly (9-1) are both among the better vaulters in the state. Neither is likely to win the state title, but Littleton won't be ceding any points to the field in the pole vault.
Laura Whalen is a solid long jumper who managed a sixth at last year's state meet. As with the pole vault, Whalen is a distant hope to win a state title this year, but you take points where you can get them and build from there.
The best hope for Littleton, however, lies exactly where it has for several years--the 400 meters and 4x400. This is where Littleton shines.
Dana Gaetani is the best of the lot and hopes to be fully healthy again this spring. If she can return to the form she enjoyed as freshman, Littleton will reap the rewards. But, Gaetani is far from the only horse in the stable. Even without Gaetani, Littleton qualified three girls for state in the 400 last spring--Kaela Edwards, Iris Hardarson, and Grace Brittan. All three qualifiers are back. All four are sub-58 400s.
With that crew healthy, Littleton should be capable of running very low 3:50s in the 4x400 once again next year. Not many teams stand ready to answer that bell.
If Littleton is to return to state title contention, however, some (or all) of the 400 meter specialists are going to have to have some success in other events. Gaetani and Hardarson easily have 200 kind of speed. Edwards is a solid 300 hurdler. Grace Brittan is just a step or two away from state kind of 200 speed. Obviously, 4x200 potential is there, but there may be more points to be found in individual events. Last year, Littleton finished a somewhat disappointing seventh in the 4x200 at state.