That's the enviable position for Terry Coleman, girls' track coach at Iowa City High, as today's district meet arrives.

"We pretty much know what we're going to do," Coleman said Thursday. "Things have a way of falling into place as districts approach.

"The main thing is to qualify as much as we can, so we can review our options for the state meet."

That's never a problem at City High, which has averaged more than 20 state entrants through a glorious five-year span. The Little Hawks were Class 3A state champions 1997 through 1999, then settled for runner-up honors behind Iowa City West each of the last two years.

Districts will be run statewide in 2A and 3A today, with 1A meets Tuesday.

The Little Hawks, favored to reclaim the 3A crown at Des Moines on May 17-18, compete today at Mount Pleasant. They should face little resistance in winning the team championship.

But the team races take a back seat to state qualification.

In each event, district champions automatically qualify. At-large berths are determined by time or distance, with a total of 24 advancing.

The state field will be determined sometime Tuesday for 2A and 3A schools, Wednesday for 1A.

City High has the state's top performance in four different events.

Jennie Funk leads in the 3,000-meter run, and the Little Hawks are tops in three relays -- the 1,600- and 3,200-meters and shuttle hurdle.

The Little Hawks are in the top eight in each of the seven relays.

"I wish I had an explanation," Coleman said. "We just get a lot of quality kids out for track, and they stick with it.

"This has been a great season. Things are really settling in. I like the way we're coming together."

Iowa City West headlines a 10-team meet at Kingston Stadium. The Women of Troy still have a strong distance corps, led by Jeni Frudden. The Michigan signee has been slowed by a hip-flexor injury, but returned to run one event -- she won the 1,500 -- at the MVC Valley Division meet last Tuesday.

All of the 3A Metro schools will run at Kingston, and three of them -- Prairie, Washington and Jefferson -- will challenge the Women of Troy.

Surprisingly, Prairie will be making its 2002 Kingston debut today.

"It's a disadvantage that we haven't been there all year," said Hawks Coach Chris Perkins. "It hurts us most in the field events.

"I'd like to start getting into some of the Metro meets. We're on a waiting list on a couple of them."

Top Metro competitors include Washington's LaNeisha Waller (long jump/sprints) and Amanda Faas (hurdles), Jefferson's Morgen Edwards (throws), Prairie's sprint relays and Rachel Sippy (high jump) and Linn-Mar's Ashley Williams (400).

Dubuque will host a handful of area 3A teams. Area 2A meets will be held at Carlisle, Monticello, Wellman and West Union.

Williamsburg, the 2A state runner-up each of the last three years, is at Wellman. The Raiders' Terran Wertz is ranked in the top four in the 800, 1,500 and 3,000, their distance medley relay is rated No. 1, and their 3,200-meter relay has won five consecutive state titles, a state record.

Clear Creek Amana, another Eastern Iowa Hawkeye Conference power, also is at Wellman. So is DeWitt Central.

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