An enthusiastic women’s track and field team has emerged this season looking to improve its fifth-place finish in the Ohio Valley Indoor Conference Championship meet last season.

The women opened their indoor season at the Illinois State Early Bird meet Dec. 7, but took time off with finals and three weeks of winter break to individually practice.

But that time off has proved to be positive for the team as it remains injury-free. Compared to one year ago, that is a relief for head coach John Craft.

“We have no injuries, so we’re heading into the season optimistic and enthusiastic,” Craft said.

“We need to ease into it now though and let them get a meet under their belt. If they start too much now, that’s when you’ll get the nagging injuries and we want to keep away from those sort of things.”

The women’s team returns a strong core of athletes from last season ranging from sprinters and jumpers to throwers and distance runners. After two days of practice, Craft has seen a strong group of women coming off the three-week break.

“The weather has not been tremendously bad, so they were able to continue conditioning to some degree, which will help us,” Craft said.

“I feel good about us coming back.”

Junior Leah Reeves returns as a strong sprinter for Eastern, turning in solid performances at Illinois State while teammate Lexie Nuckolls joins her as a top competitor in the sprints.

Sophomore Mary Wood has already improved her performance in the pole vault from her outdoor season, breaking the indoor school record with a 10-foot-8-inch jump at Illinois State.

Senior Cynthia McGee and junior Jenny Cowan will lead the jumping squad.

McGee enters her final indoor season as a high jumper and Cowan will continue to perform in the long jump and triple jump.