Lutheran St. Charles coach Mark Jenkins heads into his second year at the helm with some standouts back for both the boys and girls teams.
Last year the girls team was the MSHSAA Class 3 champions -- and now will bump up a class due to MSHSAA's Championship Factor for private schools.
That means the Cougars will have both teams in Class 4 this year -- likely pending MSHSAA district assignments -- but Jenkins is expecting both to be competing in the class in 2024.
The boys were ninth place last year in Class 4 and finished 11 points away from bringing home the fourth-place trophy.
The boys returns an all-stater in Isaac Lind but lost some other key athletes to graduation like Aiden Kearnes. Triple jump runner-up Keylan LaGrant is now at East St. Louis High School in Illinois.
Senior star half-miler Isaac Lind will try to improve on his 800 PR of 1:53.87 before heading to Bradley University to run with brother Caleb Lind.
The girls will be sprint-heavy, Jenkins said. Elle North won the 400-meter state title as a sophomore.
Classmate Kennedy Williams excelled in the hurdles, earning all-state in both distances.
The 4x200-meter relay also won the state title last year for the Cougars.
Jenkins, who competed at Purdue University, has coached at CBC, Trinity Catholic and Hazelwood Central before coming to Lutheran St. Charles to initially coach jumping events.