A bulk of last year’s top runners return as Newtown High School’s girls’ cross country team gets set to race this fall.

First-year Coach Christina Caron (see related story) is optimistic for success and hopeful for improvement from last year’s results, which included a third-place outcome in the South-West Conference and eighth-place finish in the Class LL state championships.

“I’d like to finish in the top two for the conference,” said Caron, noting that it is a bit of a lofty goal to overcome one of the anticipated top squads in the SWC, Pomperaug of Southbury and Immaculate of Danbury — the conference’s one-two finishers, respectively, each of the last two years.

Pomperaug has won the conference or been runner-up in seven of the last eight seasons, and Immaculate has established itself as one of the best in the conference year after year.

Out-running one of them is something to strive for nonetheless.

Another objective is qualifying for the State Open as a team, Caron said.

Captains are Lu Hage, Eirenie Athanasoulis, Claire Dubois, Kai-Li Davey, Julia Clark, and Katie Kost.

Newtown also returns the team’s top runner from a year ago, Emily Tressler, who came in eighth overall in the Class LL state championships. Hallie Filan and Gloria Rowley, also among Newtown’s best a season ago, are back in the fold. Most of the top runners are back.

“That’s a huge positive, and plus I think we have a little depth with the upperclassmen,” Caron said.

The Nighthawks will begin the season with a visit to Weston to face the host Trojans, along with New Milford and Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport, on Tuesday, September 11.

Newtown’s first home race, on the scenic trails of Fairfield Hills adjacent to Reed School, is Monday, September 17, when Stratford and Joel Barlow of Redding come to town.

The Hawks host Bunnell of Stratford, Brookfield, and Masuk of Monroe on Tuesday, September 25 in the only other home meet of the campaign.

After a Tuesday, October 2 visit to New Fairfield to take on the Rebels and Notre Dame-Fairfield, the Hawks close out the regular slate with what stands to be a good barometer for the upcoming postseason — in more ways than one. That’s because the Tuesday, October 9 meet is on the grounds of Bethel High, host of the SWC championships. The other teams involved in the finale are Pomperaug and Immaculate. All meets — home and away — are scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm.

The Wednesday, October 17 SWC race is set to begin at 4 pm.