While the West girls started their indoor track season in December, East just kicked things off last week. We checked in with both teams as the pace started to pick up.

WEST

It might be a building year for the West girls, but if that has changed the season outlook, it hasn't changed how hard the Falcons are working.

After dropping their first dual meet of the season in December, West beat Moses Brown and Mount Hope last week to improve to 2-1. With a lot of young runners on the roster, the Falcons hope that's a sign of things to come.

"I've been talking to some of the girls and they're not happy with their times and with how they're running right now," said coach Meghan Reynolds. "Just the fact that they want to get better and improve their times, that's more than 50 percent of it. As a coach, you can push them, but they need to have that inner drive, and they have it."

That gives West optimism for this year and beyond.

Last winter, the Falcons rode a veteran nucleus to a sixth-place finish at the state meet. Most of the key competitors from that squad graduated, leaving West with some holes.

But as the Falcons try to fill those holes, they've liked what they've seen.

"We have a lot of new blood," Reynolds said. "We lost a lot of seniors from last year. I'd say we're a young team, but they're working hard and they're developing."

The Falcons won't be the most well-rounded team this season. They don't have any throwers and just one jumper - senior Jillian Orabone. That means West will rely heavily on its runners to score points.

Captains Arianna Colella, Kara Greenaway, Keri Marnane and Rachel McCrystal will lead the way. Colella, a first-team all-stater in the cross country season, will anchor the distance corps along with Marnane. Greenaway and McCrystal lead the charge in the sprint events.

"Our captains really hold us together," Reynolds said. "They're an integral part of our success as a team. I don't tell them that often, but they are."

For a team with 31 underclassmen, getting that kind of leadership from captains is crucial.

"It's a lot of tough work, but the girls are good with that, especially the upperclassmen," Reynolds said. "They support the younger girls and teach them. It's nice to see that."

Behind the captains, the Falcons have a little bit of experienced depth. Renee Cocozza will help out in the distance events, while senior Tiffany DellaVentura should play a big role in the sprints once she works her way back from injury.

The rest of the roster is dotted with inexperienced runners, but so far, they've shown some good flashes.

"We've got some freshmen that are quick so seeing them rise up through the years, their names are going to get mentioned," Reynolds said.

They also contribute to a good feeling around the team.

"We've got a great group of girls this year," said Greenaway, a senior. "I'm really proud of all of them because we're working really hard. I think we're going to get a lot better as the season goes on. It's a building year, but I think we're going to just keep improving."

EAST

With the stops and starts that come with the early part of the indoor track season, the Cranston East girls' indoor team has had a hard time finding its rhythm. The Thunderbolts' first dual meet was postponed due to a snowstorm and winter vacation left the team with a thin practice roster. But now, as East's season finally kicks off, the 'Bolts are ready to put their best foot forward.

"We're really just getting started," East coach Bob La Banca said. "Everyone is in the same boat with the holidays, but it's been pretty tough for us to get going. Everything has been pushed back but now we're ready to get going."

East's biggest hurdle is its roster size. The 'Bolts are currently fielding a 20-person lineup, which will force the team's strongest competitors to compete in multiple events.

Senior captain Julie Mullen, a middle distance runner, is a prime example of how the team will rely on its versatile athletes. She will run the 600 but could also run distance, as well as relays, for East this winter. La Banca is counting on her experience to help set the tone for a young 'Bolts roster.

Junior Mariel Acosta, a cross country runner, will run distance for the 'Bolts, along with junior Lillian Mensah and sophomore twins Kate and Meg Aman. That quartet will give East flexibility in 1,000, 1,500 and 3,000.

Mullen and junior Brianna Moody will both run middle distance and junior Ramata Saygbe will lead a sprinting corps that features sophomore Erica Giko and freshman Argueta Angelique. Junior Brianda Santana, senior Gianna Auger and freshmen Claire Mensah will throw for the 'Bolts and round out the team's lineup.

"We don't have a ton of experience, but we've got enough to get them going," La Banca said. "Our roster size and inexperience make it hard to compete in dual meets but we realize that we are asking first-year runners to compete in varsity meet. And while they might be competing at the JV level on other teams, they are here gaining varsity experience with us."

That experience is what counts the most. East has enough athletes to fill every event, something that could not have been said in previous seasons, and now the 'Bolts are counting on continued improvement - and growth - to build a foundation for years to come.

"We might not score well all the time, but we've got enough girls to cover all the events," La Banca said. "That's a good start because I don't like to go to a meet and just give up points. We like to let the other team know that they're going to have competition and maybe grab some more points here and there. I think that we can win a couple of dual meets that way and we'll work to get some girls into the qualifying meets while we're at it."