The Woodlawn boys outdoor track and field team is a defending state champion, but it lost a lot to graduation, so retaining its spot atop The Sun's poll will be a struggle.
Mount St. Joseph, Oakland Mills, Westminster and Old Mill look to have deep squads with Milford Mill, Mervo, Arundel, North County and Gilman figuring prominently in the mix.
Baltimore County public
With hurdler-sprinter Joel Brown leading the charge, and ably abetted by the likes of Clevon Johnson (distance), Mike Donaldson (dashes), Anthony Jenkins (middle distance) and Mark Makenzie (high jump), Woodlawn, the defending Class 3A state champion is in good shape despite big losses through graduation.
Indoors, the Warriors breezed to a 50-point win over Dulaney and Milford Mill in the Baltimore County title meet and were even more dominant in the 2A-3A Central Regional. They lost the state crown to DuVal by 1.75 points on the last leg of the last event on the program -- the mile relay.
Dulaney, with several good distance runners -- led by Greg Vincent -- is expected to lead the contenders, which will probably consist of Milford Mill, Randallstown, Perry Hall and Towson.
Top individuals at those schools include hurdler-sprinter Renard Wilson, Randy Belt (vault), Andy Hart (3,200) and Alex Wancowicz (shot put) of Perry Hall, which finished sixth in the indoor state meet.
Also there is sprinters Derek Stanfield and Tyrone Gholston, hurdler William Birckhead and Marcus Lollar of Milford Mill, Randallstown's Femi Somide (distance) and Towson's strong distance duo of Jason Mitchell and John Winternitz.
Other returning standouts include pole vaulter Mike Labarre of Hereford, distance runners Mike Lisby and Mike Gill of Franklin, and Andrew Marion (shot put) of Lansdowne.
Baltimore City public
Mervo again will rely on its always-strong relay teams and the best all-around pointman in the city, long sprinter Odell Taylor, to control the competition inside the beltway.
Taylor's supporting cast of Norman Forrest (sprints, hurdles), Reggie Clark and Andrew Hackett (middle distance), Kevin Merrick (hurdles) and Colby Smith is solid, too.
Poly is probably the deepest of the teams threatening Mervo's reign with Alex Scally a sure point-scorer in the distance events.
Ray Durant of Carver gives his team a good start in any meet as the city's dash champion and third-place finisher in the 300 indoors, but the Bears have to scramble after that.
Private schools
Mount St. Joseph, with its legion of runners and jumpers, is the team to beat in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association off its dominance during the indoor campaign.
Anchored by an almost assured 1-2-3 finish in the high jump with Glen Littlefield, Derrick Levroney and Nick Wright, who start at 6-feet-2 and go up, the Gaels boast a battery of half-milers who not only spread out to the long dashes and middle distances but give the squad solid relay teams.
Three Mount underclassmen made the All-City/County indoor team, a fourth (shot-putter Noud Vanstekelenburg) just missed.
Calvert Hall picks up help in running events as cross-country runners join the team and will make a run at Mount St. Joseph. The Cardinals have the dash favorite in Alan McDavid and one of the best at distance in Aaron Johnson.
Distance runner Chris Knott of Loyola, hurdler Andy Bayne of Curley, middle-distance runner Jay Broglie and shot-putter Felix Isuk of Gilman were all All-City/County selections indoors.
Girls
City champs Western and Baltimore County champs Dulaney tied for No. 1 in The Sun's city/county indoor track poll, both dominating their regional finals. Dulaney grabbed a slight edge when the two finished 2-3 in the Class 4A state showdown indoors. So guess which teams figure to be at the top of their respective divisions outdoors?
Baltimore County public
Dulaney is young, but it doesn't perform that way. Indoors, while beating back long-time rival Perry Hall, the Lions were led by two freshmen, Tenke Zoltani and Ida Bernstein, and a junior, Laurie Twardzik, who between them piled up more than half of the team's 100 points in individual events.
Add to this trio Class 4A state outdoor high jump champ Stephenie Kuehne, Chrissy Dachille in the middle distances and Stephanie Wells in the pole vault and it's easy to see why indoor All-City/County Coach of the Year Don Metil's squad assumes the favorite's role in the county.
Perry Hall, which held firm behind Dulaney when the teams met in the 3A-4A West Regional a month ago, had just one all-county coaches' selection in pole vaulter Lisa Pann, but boasts depth.
In the team competition, other schools don't figure to have the numbers to challenge the Dulaney and Perry Hall girls.
Baltimore City public
In the City championship indoor meet, Western racked up 195 points. The eight other schools getting on the board in the meet combined for 146. Maybe outdoors they should have the Doves go against all the other teams as a combined squad.
Actually, Western wasn't slowed indoors until the Class 3A-4A state meet when it was shoved back to third behind Eleanor Roosevelt (Prince George's County) and Dulaney.
The team's nucleus is runners Toni Jefferson, Tia Burley, Layla Acirfa, Lisa Henry, Melinda McLaughlin and Takee Jobe, who handle everything from the dash to the two-mile to the relays, although some take part in field events, too. Jefferson, for instance, is the defending Class 4A state champ in the long jump outdoors.
Second best among the city's girls' squads figures to be a battle between Mervo and City. Mervo is led by Serena Wheeler, who was top three in the 55 and 300 in both the city and regional meets indoors.
Private schools
Archbishop Spalding, with Kelly Zuknick dominating the distance events (and dabbling in the high jump), swept the four indoor meets. Those days are gone when it comes to the outdoors.
McDonogh, third in the girls' metro poll last season, has a slew of excellent performers led by speedsters Chanel Lattimer, Jenny Ford and Brandi Preston, and Kacie Remeto takes care of everything from a half-mile up.
Catholic High and Mercy have good depth and Bryn Mawr and Mount de Sales both have some strong individual performers.