The 2022 girls track and field season was certainly one to remember for Norwalk.

The Warriors girls claimed their first Little Hawkeye Conference Meet championship in Coach Charity Campbell’s 25 years at the helm, then turned around and scored 50 points to earn a Class 4A second-place trophy at the State Meet.

Campbell tells KNIA-KRLS Sports that both team accomplishments were a thrill for everyone involved with the program. “It was pretty exciting,” she said. “We didn’t expect the second-place finish at state, but the stars aligned for us and we had a lot of athletes do really well at the meet and it ended up working out for us.”

Norwalk graduated some high-quality talent from last year’s group, but Campbell says the Warriors are looking to rebuild around senior standout Claire Farrell and accomplish big things again this spring. The current roster includes about 55 athletes, which is close to average for the team’s usual depth.

Farrell, a University of Kansas signee, placed second in four events at last year’s state meet, including the 100, 200 and 400-meter sprints. Her offseason included a 400 gold medal in the USATF National Championships in Sacramento and some sizzling times on the indoor track circuit this past winter. Farrell is currently trying to get 100 percent healthy to chase some big goals later this season.

According to Campbell, one of the Warriors’ deepest and best events will be the hurdles. Norwalk’s shuttle hurdle relay team of seniors Shae Ung, Juliana Warren, Keara Arnold and Kate Desmond placed fourth at the IATC Indoor Championships held March 9 in Ames. Returning hurdlers from last year’s state-qualifying shuttle are Desmond, Ung and Warren, along with sophomore Ella Johnson.

In addition to Farrell, returning state qualifiers in the sprint relays include Savannah Welch, Kennedy Robbins, Ashlyn Brown and Bree Mauro. Mauro will also be one of the team’s top distance runners. Junior Lauren Black will be one to watch in the throws as the Warriors look for new contributors in the field events.

Despite the unknowns and inexperience in some events, Campbell says the Norwalk roster is still very talented and the goals remain high. “The girls had the taste of victory last year so they’re shooting for that conference title again,” she said. “We’ll have to see what we can put together, but they want another victory.”

The Warriors open the 2023 outdoor season Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. with a meet at Waukee.