State Qualifying Meets are being held in all four classes of track and field programs in the state today. Greene County goes southwest to Atlantic for a coed meet starting at 4 p.m. Atlantic and Greene County will be joined by Carroll,  Creston, Denison-Schleswig, Glenwood, Harlan, and Winterset. In 3A, the top two finishers in each event are automatic state meet qualifiers. The state field of 24 per event is filled out by qualifying the eight best performances statewide that did not finish first or second.

Greene County is hopeful of qualifying several events for state, but there are some concerns. Senior Roman Phillips is one of the top sprinters in 3A, but a leg muscle injury has bothered him since late April. He ran just one event at the May 12 Heart of Iowa Activities Conference meet. Having Phillips being able to perform at least close to his best would be a big lift for the Rams.

The girls have generally been healthy this season, but absenteeism has been a concern. Three of four legs from the 2013 fifth place shuttle hurdle relay team are back, but the unit hasn’t been able to lower its time of 1:09.20 from early April and not having all the girls there for significant stretches of the season has been a factor. The Rams were leading the event at Monday’s conference meet until a fall, and they finished in second place. Greene County fell twice at the Drake Relays in the shuttle hurdle, so staying on their feet, as always, is a big key in that event.

Weather around the state could play a role in state qualification as well. The forecast indicates less than ideal conditions including cool temperatures with many sites having chances for rain. If Atlantic gets afternoon or evening showers, the amounts are expected to be light with no severe weather in the forecast.