Finding someone who is looking forward to this spring's high school track season more than Kate Muskat may be difficult.

One of the state's top sprinters, Muskat suffered a hamstring injury last year that all but sidelined her for her junior season.

By the time the postseason came around, she attempted to run but wasn't close to being healthy. Muskat ended up watching the state finals from the stands.

"I'm extremely motivated," the Bishop Chatard senior said. "Right now, I'm feeling great. I'm just really excited to be injury free. It's my senior year. I'm leaving it all on the track this year."

She's healthy now, and it has shown during the indoor season.

Muskat ran the 55-meter dash in 7.21 seconds at the Hoosier State Relays, the unofficial indoor state meet, to win the small-school division for the fourth year in a row. The 7.21 was her best time in the event.

Perhaps even more telling, her time was second-best at the meet, behind only the 7.17 of large-school winner Ebony Wright of Warren Central. Heading into the Hoosier State Relays, Muskat was ranked third in the state in the 55 behind Warren Central's Candyce McGrone, one of the nation's top high school sprinters, and North Central's Erica Blythe.

Chatard coach Sean McGinley said Muskat looks better than ever.

"Starting in the fall and through the winter and spring, she's been training the whole time," McGinley said. "She hasn't had any setbacks.

"She's very motivated. She's always been internally motivated, and I feel lucky to have coached her for four years. Until this year, last year was the hardest she worked. When she got hurt, she was frustrated, but she's been working even harder."

After getting hurt last year at the West Lafayette Relays, Muskat took most of a month off, then tried jogging heading into the sectionals. Though she was still hurt, she was fifth in the 100 in the sectional but didn't advance.

"I definitely wasn't at my top physically, but I wanted to run for sure," she said. "Even though I wasn't 100 percent, I was like, 'Hey, I have the whole summer.' "

She began working out seriously a few weeks before Labor Day and said she hasn't had any pain since.

Muskat's been focused on the sprints throughout most of high school. She played a year of volleyball as a freshman before focusing on track.

She was drawn to running by tagging along with her sister, Lauren, who is two years older. As a fourth grader, Lauren ran with the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Youth Organization track team. Her second-grade sister was in tow.

"I went to every single practice, and one day my dad asked, 'Hey, can she run with you guys?' They were able to get me in on some meets on the four-by-one relay.

"My sister would start the relay, then I would finish it."

As the season went along last spring, McGinley said everyone understood Muskat's disappointment, even though he doesn't recall hearing about it.

"The type of person she is, she didn't complain about it, but youcould tell it was very tough on her, especially going to the state meet and watching the other runners compete."