OTTUMWA — Steve Green has seen many a memory created in his 10 years as head coach of the Ottumwa girls track squad.

He’s won four straight CIML Metro championships with his successful red and white Bulldog squads. He’s been a part of countless enjoyable moments at the Drake Relays on the fabled blue track with his seasoned Ottumwa athletes.

Green has also seen the pitfalls of a sport that lead to challenges of overcoming and withstanding adversity. Runners fall down. But they can also dust themselves off and become better because of it.

Green has had such a year in 2008. Nothing is guaranteed in sports, and track and field is such an endeavor. Bumps, bruises and bandages make it difficult sometimes to compete to one’s highest level of performance.

The Bulldogs will have a valuable opportunity to make a season that didn’t quite live up to expectations finish on a high note.

Green will have his runners ready at the Class 4A Regional in Ankeny tonight as berths to the state meet to be run on that blue track in Des Moines will be handed out. Boys and girls district meets in Class 3A and Class 4A take place tonight, as Centerville, Davis County and Fairfield will run at Mount Pleasant and Chariton will run at Winterset.

Class 1A and Class 2A district meets take place on Saturday, with Albia and Eddyville-Blakesburg running at Pekin; Moravia, Moulton-Udell, Russell, Seymour and Twin Cedars running at Mount Ayr; Cardinal, MSAE, Sigourney, Tri-County and Van Buren running at WACO and North Mahaska headed to at BGM.

“On Friday, the girls know that they get just one shot. In track and field, always expect the unexpected, because crazy things happen. Never count yourself out,” said Green.

Ottumwa made history last month as Green’s shuttle hurdle relay squad became the first of its kind to run on the blue track at the Drake Relays.

Don’t think that the Bulldogs likely berth to state is a shoo-in. Green says his team sits as the third or fourth best time in the 8-eight-team field.

“You look at from first to fourth, you’re looking at the difference of maybe three strides. It’s anybody’s ball game,” said Green.

Ottumwa seniors Katherine Person, Kendra Spurgeon, junior Kelsey Kelly-Celania and soph Kaitlin McElroy comprise the shuttle squad. Person is the lone returnee from the state squad a year ago.

Ottumwa’s Sarah Ryan has proven to be one of the most exciting freshman to ever grace a track for OHS.

She’ll compete in the long jump and open 100. Ryan is one-fourth of the 4x200 and 4x100. The 4x100 Ottumwa relay of Ryan and seniors Akiya Pope, Spurgeon and Person also ran at Drake.

Ryan holds the school record in the long jump, which she shattered with a leap of 17-6 at the Don Newell Classic. She placed 14th at Drake in the long jump.