The high school girls’ track & field season for the Greene County Rams begins indoors Monday, March 13 in Ames at the Lied Recreation Center on the Iowa State University campus. Head coach Kelly Simpson will be taking a skeleton crew to the meet, which will be the first of several “lasts” for the veteran coach. Earlier this year he announced he’ll be ending his teaching and coaching career for the Rams. The coach talked about the beginning and the end. “I started 33 years ago head coaching in two sports (cross-country and track & field), and teaching. Now, I’m going to end it after 33 years head coaching the same two sports, and teaching (science), so there’s not very many of us left to do those crazy things.”

The coach returns some talent. Junior Megan Durbin is the 2016 Drake Relays champion and Class 3A State champion in the high jump, and also a State qualifying sprinter. Senior Olivia Hansen is a State meet veteran as a sprinter, and senior thrower Kenna Marquardt won the Heart of Iowa Activities Conference discus throw competition last season. In fact, nearly all of 2016’s team is back and some talented newcomers have joined the veterans.