By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— Shortly after winning their second consecutive 6A championship for indoor track, the Lady Panthers are back on the track in the early stages of the outdoor track season.

At the AHSAA Indoor Track and Field State Championships Feb. 5-6, Pelham scored 98 points, beating Homewood by 10 to win the 6A indoor state title. Coach Marty Springfield said the girls are looking for another state title, and Homewood will likely be their biggest competition once again.

“It’s been a good early season. It’s still going to be a tough matchup with Homewood,” Springfield said. “They are a great team, and he’s got a lot of good athletes. He’s got a really good coaching staff, and they do a really good job of taking those athletes and moving them to events where they can help the team.”

Luckily, all the athletes who put points on the board during the indoor tournament are back to compete in outdoor.

Senior Mary Grace Strozier placed first in each of her four events at state, winning the 800-meter, 1,600-meter, 3,200-meter and a distance relay. Strozier and Erin Hines earned more than half of Pelham’s points at the meet, with Hines placing second in the 60-meter hurtles and the long jump and third in the 400-meter dash.

Also back to compete are Emily Shaw, who won second place in the high jump, and Alex Ladewig, who took second in the pole vault.

While placement in the competitions are improvement, Springfield said he likes to see hard work pay off through improvement. Earning another state title hasn’t resulted in any of the girls coasting through practice, he said, and they’ve been determined to push themselves.

“You like to see improvement throughout the year,” Springfield said. “Obviously, where they place is important come state meet, but throughout the year, you hope to see improvement I their marks whether it be times or throws or jumps.”