The Newtown High School girls’ indoor track team, last winter’s South-West Conference Champion, is ready to compete for bragging rights again this campaign.

“The goal is to remain at the top of SWC and make some waves in postseason at states,” Coach Becky Bourret said.

Captains are sprinters Grace Lyons, Abby Manka, and Rachael Albrecht; sprinter/pole vaulter Lola Kessler; hurdler/jumper Aashni Shetty; mid distance runner Abby Ihlefeld; and distance runner Annabelle Foley.

“We have a ton of returning talent that will be super exciting for us,” Coach Becky Bourret said.

Among the returnees are long sprinters Jessie Moore and Brooke Bulkley, Natalie McLean now running distance events, thrower Lily Tullie, jumper Violet Asante-Labash, and hurdler/jumper Marcela Coral.

“We have a very talented freshman class to be molded into amazing track athletes,” Bourret said. “We are 80-plus deep this season — the most I’ve had for indoor. We have a lot of experience with girls who are passionate about the sport. That tied with the amount of new athletes makes for a great season.

On the boys’ side, the Nighthawks are ready to run — as well as jump and throw — under the direction of a new coach as Nick Fraticelli takes over.

“Our goals are to see the season as a process where our team learns to work together well, to support each other, and to value having a well-balanced program. We have a good array of strong athletes in a number of different areas for our team. We are looking forward to the progression of the team as we move through the season,” Fraticelli said.

The Nighthawks will look to middle distance/distance runners Soheib Dissa and Orion Lowery; sprinter/jumper Elias Brady; thrower Guiherme Magallhaes; sprinter/hurdler Derek Jopp, and sprinter Grady Marks for success.

Competition begins Saturday, January 4, with a visit to Bethel’s Track and Field Training Center at 9 am.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.