There will be no high school sports this spring following the COVID-19 breakout. It's a tough break for athletes and coaches who have been preparing for their respective seasons.
We'll miss the warming temperatures, the chalked lines at Sherman Field, the environment at Morrison Stadium for state soccer and the close finishes at Omaha Burke Stadium for state track.
Creating a list of area athletes we wanted to watch this spring is quite long. We trimmed it down to these 25 names:
Kalynn Meyer
Superior girls track and field
The Nebraska volleyball recruit was eyeing some big numbers in shot put and discus while trying to become a four-time state champion in both events. Her throw of 176 feet, 8 inches in the discus last year not only won her a state title, it was the top mark in the country.
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Haley Peterson
Lincoln East girls soccer
The Nebraska soccer recruit is one of the top defenders in the state. She earned Class A all-state honors as a sophomore while adding nine goals and two assists in 2019. Peterson also played a key role on East's basketball team.
Briley Hill
Lincoln East girls soccer
Hill is a Nebraska recruit. The junior forward received Class A all-state honors last year after leading the Spartans in goals (16) and assists (10). East reached the state semifinals in 2019. Like Peterson, Hill also plays basketball.
Max Petersen
Lincoln Southwest baseball
The junior infielder and Nebraska baseball recruit is a key cog in the Silver Hawks' lineup. He hit .319 with nine extra-base hits, 18 RBIs and 11 stolen bases last spring, then hit .313 for his American Legion team.
Kate Dilsaver
Lincoln Southwest girls track
After a breakout season on the basketball court, the multi-sport standout was looking to repeat last year's track success. Dilsaver, a junior, won the 100-meter dash (12.08 seconds) and the 200 (:24.90), and placed third in the 400 at the state track meet in helping lead the Silver Hawks to a Class A team title.
Katie Thompson
Lincoln Southwest girls track and field
Like Dilsaver, Thompson can score a lot of points and in a variety of ways. She placed second in the 100 (:12.18) at last year's state meet. The Air Force recruit also is a strong hurdler and excels in the jumps, placing second in the long jump (18-6) and fourth in the triple (36-¾) at Burke Stadium as a junior.
Mackenzie Boeve
Lincoln Southeast girls soccer
Boeve was set for a healthy senior campaign after her junior year was cut short by injury. A defender, Boeve was a 2018 Super-State selection and is signed to play at Kansas. She had six assists and a goal as a sophomore.
Tyler Brown
Lincoln East boys track and field
Brown, a senior, was set to take aim at gold medals in the shot put and discus. He won the Class A discus title by nearly 10 feet last year (187-0), and placed fourth in the shot put in 55-2¼.
Jaxson Simmerman
Seward baseball
The senior and Omaha recruit is one of the top catchers in the state. He was an all-state performer last year, hitting .419 with 26 hits, 26 runs, nine doubles and 19 RBIs in helping lead the Bluejays to the Class B state tournament.
Ashton Hausmann
Norris boys track
The Titan senior was to take the track one last time before walking on to play football at Nebraska. Hausmann was a likely heavy favorite to win the Class B 100 after placing first last year (:10.84) in Omaha. He also placed third in the 200 at :22.31.
Bianca Rademacher
Lincoln East girls tennis
Rademacher capped an unbeaten season with a Class A No. 1 singles state title last year. The senior and Wichita State recruit was looking to become the first back-to-back No. 1 singles champion from Lincoln since Kirsten Bernthal (1991-92).
Jason Kolbas
Lincoln Pius X boys golf
Though only a junior, Kolbas is a veteran on the prep golf scene. He tied for second place at the Class A state tournament as a freshman and tied for 19th as a sophomore.
Ty Hahn
Johnson-Brock boys track
A pulled hamstring sidelined the three-sport standout last year, preventing him from defending a state title in the Class D 200 meters. Hahn, who will play football at Nebraska, would have had a big shot at state gold in the 100 and 200.
Yushin Gossin
Lincoln Southeast boys soccer
The senior was a catalyst for the Knights last year, leading the team in goals (nine) and assists (five). Southeast also was set to return senior midfielder Timothy Goldsmith. Both were all-city last year.
Joel Benes
Norris baseball
The senior hit .372 with 32 hits, eight doubles and 34 RBIs last year in helping lead the Titans to the Class B state tournament while earning all-state honors. Benes is one of the top infielders in Class B.
Lauren Meyer and Jessica Moss
Syracuse girls track and field
Meyer, a Nebraska track recruit, is one of the state's top jumpers. The senior won the triple jump (38-8) and placed third in the long jump (18-2¼) in Class B last year at Burke Stadium. Meyer also picked up a medal in the 400. Moss, a junior, was looking to defend her title in the high jump after going 5-7 last year.
Parker Jeppson
Lincoln Southwest boys soccer
The senior and Northern Illinois recruit was set to take on a bigger scoring role after the graduation of Isaiah Shaddick. Jeppson was second on the team in goals scored in 2019.
Camilla Ibrahimova
Lincoln Southeast girls tennis
Ibrahimova is one of the top young players in the state after finishing in third place at No. 1 singles in last year's Class A state tournament. The good news: Ibrahimova is only a sophomore and gets two years to leave her mark.
Tyler Boyle and Liem Chot
Lincoln Southwest and Lincoln North Star boys track
Boyle (Southwest) and Chot (North Star) are among the state's top long-distance runners, and both were expected to go head-to-head multiple times this year. Boyle edged Chot by nearly 2 seconds for the 3,200-meter gold at last year's state meet. Chot is a two-time state champion in cross country.
Jenna Muma
Lincoln East girls track
Muma was set to enter her junior season with the Spartans after winning the 1,600 (5:04.32) at last year's state meet. She also placed second in the 800 and is a key part of the Spartan relay teams.
Austin Schneider
Lincoln East baseball
The junior outfielder is a nice two-way player for the Spartans. He hit .359 as a sophomore, while also making six appearances on the mound. Schneider finished with a 1-0 record and a 2.95 earned-run average, striking out 18 in 19 innings.
Brylie Hartwig
Freeman girls track
The senior and South Dakota recruit won two state titles last year in Class C, coasting to the 1,600 gold in a time of 5:14.09. She (2:18.08) edged Chase County's Mallie McNair (2:20.19) for the 800 gold.
Ian Becerra
Lincoln High boys soccer
Becerra had a strong sophomore season, leading the Links in goals scored (eight) while tying for the team lead in points (19) with Pla Plot Soe, who also was set to return this season.