The Wareham girls track & field team has flown out of the gate this year to a 5-1 record in the South Coast Conference. A big reason for the team's best start in years is the fact that it's also the biggest team in years.

"Depth wise it's the best team I've had in my time here," said Wareham coach Chris Gardner. "We're halfway through the season and I've been really pleased and impressed so far."

Gardner is in his sixth year as head coach of the Wareham program. He said last year 20 athletes finished the indoor season and this year he has 32.

Gardner said having the talent is never a problem for his team, its having the depth to compete in a sport that scores out six to ten places over more than a dozen events, depending on the meet.

Generating depth is difficult because Wareham hasn't had a middle school track program in four years and finding distance runners is nearly impossible without a cross country program.

One way Gardner combats this is by using the MIAA rule that allows eighth graders on the high school team. Gardner said he has eight eighth-graders this year, a quarter of his team.

With this boost in depth, the team's talent can shine through.

Leading the team are the two Maddies: Maddie Koslowsky and Maddie St. Julien. Koslowsky is the fastest freshman in the state over the 55m hurdles with her time of 9.49 seconds. She also has top five marks for the South Coast Conference in the 55m dash and the high jump.

St. Julien has the best 300m dash time in the SCC at 45.08 and also has a state qualifying mark in the 55m dash (7.84 seconds).

"She's very humble but always goes out and wants to win," Gardner said of the junior St. Julien.

The team is also helped by sophomore Paige Fehskens, who has top marks in the conference for the 1000m and one mile races as well as seniors Emily Cummings, a state qualifier in the high jump and Caitlyn Berger, a qualifier in the shot put.

"She's willing to do anything to help the team," Gardner said of Berger, who ran the mile at one meet to help score points, a rare feat for a thrower.

Gardner said the team is entering the toughest part of its schedule, which includes two meets against Seekonk and Old Rochester Regional, two top teams in the conference.

"We beat Seekonk by one point last year, so it'll be a close meet," Gardner said.

He said the team currently has 10 state qualifiers but he's hoping for a few more, and maybe a qualifying relay team.

Gardner hopes he can ride this wave of success into the outdoor season. He thinks the team will be getting some girls from the basketball and softball teams, including Kelley Peterson, who plays softball and currently runs the 600 for the indoor track team.

"She's getting a lot more looks from colleges for running than for softball," Gardner said. "We'll lose some kids going to outdoor, but I'm hoping this success can only bring good things."