Franklin men's track and field flexed some muscle during the indoor season, placing fifth at the HCAC meet.

Coach Brandon Dworak sees the team doing even more of that this spring.

"We obviously want to do well indoors, but ultimately our training is geared toward peaking at the end of outdoor season," Dworak said.

One area where Dworak expects improvement is in the 400-meter run, where the Grizzlies placed four runners — Khalid Amadou, Steven Scott, Austin Menefee and Russell Bilohlavek — in the top 10 at the HCAC indoor meet. The coach feels that with the height in that crew, especially with Amadou and Scott, the more gradual outdoor turns will be more beneficial.

Considering Scott is the reigning outdoor conference champion in the event and Franklin also won the 4x400 relay last spring, Dworak has reason to be confident. But the optimism is by no means limited to the 400.

The Grizzlies boast a solid group of sprinters in Brayden Wilkins, Dyreese Elliott, Myles Baker and Gabe Gomes, as well as a stout distance crew headed up by All-HCAC cross country runner Will Hirsch and steeplechase standout Zachary Schroeder.

Dworak also likes his contingent of throwers, which features Curtis Burke and Teagun Rominger in the shot put and Caleb Pipes in the hammer throw. Freshman Joe Johnson, who scored in the hurdles at the indoor conference meet, is expected to make a difference in multiple events.

Franklin has balance and depth — but it also has youth, with many key underclass contributors.

"If you look overall at our roster, it's a lot of freshmen and sophomores," Dworak said. "We obviously want to do well, but we should keep getting better."

Picked fifth in the HCAC preseason poll, the Grizzlies view that as more of a floor than anything else. As the team heads outside starting Saturday at Rose-Hulman, the sky is indeed the limit.