Rane Kilburn (left) and Tristan Larsh (right) should be key performers for the Warsaw boys track team in sectional action at Goshen Thursday night (File photos by Mike Deak)

WARSAW – The Warsaw track programs will put impressive sectional championship streaks on the line as the IHSAA state tournament series commences this week.

The Warsaw ladies will take the first crack at number 11 in a row at home Tuesday night. The Warsaw boys will then aim for its seventh straight at Goshen come Thursday night.

The pair of teams, both now coached by Matt Thacker, will enter the sectional fray in their usual role as that of favorites.

The Warsaw girls notched their 12th straight Northern Lakes Conference Meet title on their new track facility last week. A year ago, Warsaw ran away with the sectional hardware at home with 173 points. Concord was a distance second with 73 points and Northridge was third with 70.

The Warsaw girls have a trio of returning sectional champions from a year ago. Standout distance runner Mia Beckham won the 1,600 and 3,200-meter run titles. Anna Craig won the 800 a year ago and Lexie Day took first in the high jump. The Tigers also won all three relay events in the sectional in 2016.

The trio of Beckham, Day and Craig will be among the ones to watch Tuesday night for the home team. Beckham won the 1,600 and 3,200 at the NLC Meet, while Day took the high jump.

The Warsaw 4 X 400 relay team of Maygan Bellamy, Angie Sanchez-Vigil, Kenzie Martz and Remi Beckham is also coming off a record-setting performance in the conference meet.

Warsaw looks for sprinter Abbi Curtis to be back in the lineup for sectional. The standout junior sat out the NLC Meet after suffering an ankle injury in practice the weekend prior to the meet.

The Whitko, Tippecanoe Valley and Triton girls teams will head to Rochester Tuesday night. Bremen is the defending team champion there.

Abigail Powell will compte for Triton in the Rochester Track Sectional Tuesday night.

A key figure missing from the postseason will be Whitko’s Kaity Reed. The senior standout, who will play volleyball in college, missed her final season after undergoing foot surgery in April. Reed tied for fifth place last year and was ninth as a sophomore in the high jump at the State Finals.

Action at both Warsaw and Rochester Tuesday night is slated to begin with field event competition at 5:30 p.m.

The top three finishers in each event at Warsaw and Rochester earn a spot in the South Bend St. Joseph Regional on May 23.

The Warsaw boys will look to rule the field once again in the Maple City Thursday night. The Tigers made it seven straight NLC Meet championships in a row at home last week.

The Tigers won the sectional crown a year ago with 147 points.  Host Goshen was second with 104.5 points and NorthWood was third with 91.

Warsaw had five champions in the conference meet with Zeb Hernandez winning both the 1,600 and 3,200-meter run titles. He was second in the 1,600 at the sectional in 2016. Rane Kilburn won the 100 and Tristan Larsh the 200 in the NLC Meet and the outstanding duo teamed with Will McGarvey and Alijah Wade to take top honors in the 4 X 100 relay event.

Other key performers for Warsaw include Justin Fleming (800), Kendall Miller (hurdles), Lucas Howett (3,200), Xavi Ramirez (800) Dalton Smoker (shot put).

The Whitko boys team will be looking for a second straight sectional title at Bremen Thursday night. The Wildcats won last year with 132 points, to outdistance Plymouth (112) and Rochester (77).

Whitko captured its second straight Three Rivers Conference Meet championship last week, led by individual champions Gavin Howard (shot put and discus) and Alex Wilson (200).

The Wildcats, who are coached by Ron Cherry, have sectional returning champions in Garrett Elder (100 and long jump) and Alex Morales (110 hurdles).

The Tippecanoe Valley and Triton teams will also be part of the 11-team field at Bremen.

The field events are slated to kick-off sectional action at Goshen and Bremen Thursday night at 5:30 p.m.

The top three finishers in each event at Goshen and Bremen advance to the Kokomo Regional on May 25.