Winning a Drake Relays title is as good as it gets in April for Iowa high school track and field athletes and teams. That was the case Thursday afternoon for the Greene County Rams when sophomore Megan Durbin won the girls’ high jump at 5′ 8″. The clearance was a Jefferson-based program record by two inches, a  personal best by three inches, and it won the competition by four inches.

The challenge now for Durbin, her teammates that were at Drake Stadium cheering her on, and the coaching staff, is to come down from Cloud 9 and focus on what’s ahead. The Heart of Iowa Activities Conference meet is just one day away. Gilbert hosts the Tuesday event , which starts at 4 p.m. Kelly Simpson is Greene County’s girls’ head coach and Dean Lansman heads the boys’ program. Both agree that the HOIAC is one of the best conferences in Iowa in track and field for schools of its size. “Our conference is tough and we know it’s going to be a challenge,” Lansman said. “I’ve said for years that in the running sports (cross-country, track & field) that this conference is as good as any for schools of this size, and I think past performances have proven that to be true. We’ll have to be at our very best if we want to do well,” added Coach Simpson.

Durbin leads the entire state, not just the conference or Class 3A, and other Rams, as well as athletes from the other HOIAC programs, rank high within the state and in 3A.