When it comes to sprinters with state potential, Cole Hardwick is no longer a long-shot dark horse.

Mack Young is a triple-threat distance runner with renewed focus and his eyes on the prize.

And diminutive, soft-spoken distance specialist Devin McMahon is looking to make giant strides in her final go-around on the high school oval.

A trio of Redmond High School seniors are working hard to make triumphant returns to the Class 4A state track and field meet in May. Redmond High coaches say all three have the talent to be Star Track medal contenders with hard work and determination being the keys to their success.

HARDWICK: LATE BLOOMER

Hardwick burst onto the scene late last year when he shocked the state field and placed seventh in the 200-meter finals with a time of 22.69 seconds.

“He was a late bloomer,” said Redmond High boys’ track and field coach David Peabody. “He was someone who we thought wouldn’t be as fast as he was at the end of the season. He peaked at the right time.”

Last spring, Hardwick only ran two 200 races before the postseason, but did run a 4A Kingco meet-qualifying time of 23.24 at the final regular-season meet. Then in the postseason he stuck with the 200, caught fire and capped his memorable postseason run with a state podium finish. He ran a personal-best automatic time of 22.33 (22.1 hand-held time) in the state prelims before clocking a 22.69 in the finals.

“It was a surprise year for me,” said Hardwick, who was a running back for the Redmond High football team.

No longer a surprise, Hardwick has high hopes this spring.

Hardwick, who also does the 100, relays and the long jump, said he ultimate goal is to break the school record in the 200, which is a hand-held time of 21.4, set by J.K. Haines in 1999.

That means Hardwick will have to shave off nearly a second from his best time to take the top spot in the school record book.

“It’s gonna be hard to beat,” said Hardwick, whose younger sister, Darcy, is also a member of the Redmond High track and field team. “I’m working towards it and I am hoping I can knock that one off.”

Peabody said Hardwick has the potential to break the school record and improve on last year’s seventh-place state finish.

“He’s already off to a better start than last season,” the coach said, adding that last year’s incredible run “really fuels his goals for this year.”

YOUNG: TRIPLE THREAT

Young has his sights set on rewriting the school record books and improving upon last year’s humbling state run.

Young was coming off a state cross-country championship in the fall of 2008 started last track season on fire, before settling for a 13th place finish in the 1,600 — his favorite event — at Star Track.

He admits last season’s state performance was disappointing and has high expectations for his final spring fling at Redmond High.

“I want to try to knock off the school records in the 8 (800), 16 (1,600) and 32 (3,200) this year,” said Young, who will run cross country and track at Washington State University (WSU) next year.

Stormy Shouman captured the school’s top times in all three races — the 800, 1,600, 3,200 — way back in 1987. Young is currently third on the all-time 800 list at 1:55.3 with Shouman holding the top spot at 1:54.3. Young is fourth on the list in the 1,600 (4:15.0) and 3,200 (9:23.8). Shouman’s record for the 1,600 is 4:11.8 and his best 3,200 time is 9:00.9.

Peabody said Young’s record hopes are “well within reach” because of his renewed focus and competitive hunger.

“I’ve seen more change out of Mack in terms of work ethic and leadership and modeling for the younger kids than I’ve ever seen,” Peabody said. “It’s not a total transformation, but a great evolution.”

Young said he is trying not to put pressure on himself in his final high school season and is excited about what the future holds.

“I am just doing whatever I can each day and see how I feel,” said Young, who will focus on the 1,600 and 3,200 in the postseason. “I just want to show that Wazzu (WSU) made a good choice.”

Peabody said this season is merely a stepping stone for Young.

“I think he will be a contender at the next level in college, so this is not his final season,” Peabody said. “This is a milestone that will help him set the tone for his career in track and field.”

MCMAHON: “RARING TO GO”

McMahon, hampered by low-body weight for most of last year, is working hard to return to her 2008 form, when she placed fourth in the 3,200 and 12th in the 1,600 at the state meet.

McMahon missed all of the 2008 cross country season and most of last season’s track season when doctors told her not to run because of her low-body weight. By the time she was cleared to run late last spring, she was out of shape and not able to advance to the postseason.

McMahon continued to put in the miles in the offseason and it paid off with a third-place finish at the state cross country meet last fall. Now, she’s hoping to make some noise on the oval this spring.

“I’m feeling better,” she said. “I had a good cross country season.”

McMahon posted personal-bests of 5:11.5 in the 1,600 and 10:42.5 in the 3,200 as a sophomore.

“I just want to try to get back down to my PRs I had my sophomore year,” said McMahon, who is hoping to attend and run for Cornell University. Longtime Redmond coach Denis Villeneuve said McMahon “looks great” and is “already proven she is running well. She’s raring to go.”

When asked if her goal is to win state gold, the quiet, humble runner only smiled, nudged her shoulders and said, “Sure, we’ll see.”