The ISU track and field team is taking 21 athletes to the NCAA West Regionals to compete for a spot in the NCAA Championships after earning a total of 22 regional bids.

“I think we were estimating about that 20 to 25 range,” said assistant coach Jeremy Sudbury. “Being our first year, that was probably more than we thought walking in the door, so it is definitely a great opportunity to build off of it. We have a lot of young kids going and [this experience] will be a positive moving forward.”

Not all of the ISU competitors traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., have years left to make waves in their collegiate careers, however.

For a handful of veterans, this will be their first and last chance to compete at regionals and qualify for a spot on the national stage.

One such athlete is senior Ryan Sander, who runs the 110-meter hurdles. Sander qualified for regionals last season but was unable to run due to injury. He said that disappointment makes this opportunity in his final year at Iowa State all the more special.

“It means a lot,” Sander said. “I have made it my goal from the very beginning to make it to nationals and this is my last shot at it. It is going to be an emotional weekend either way.”

Redshirt junior Kelly McCoy is in a similar situation to Sander, as she has graduated and has chosen to forego her fifth year of eligibility in favor of entering the working world.

“I am really excited for [regionals],” McCoy said. “This has been a great season and this is not something that was really on my radar before. I have no idea what to expect, but I am really excited in my last season to make it this far.”

McCoy credited some of her success this year to her relationship with teammate and fellow redshirt junior Hannah Willms, who will also compete in the high jump in Arkansas this coming weekend.

“We definitely support each other and I cannot imagine doing this without her,” McCoy said. “We work really well together … and as much as I want to go to nationals, if I cannot make it and she is going, I will be so happy for her.”

The weather forecast for Fayetteville, Ark., from May 29 to May 31 includes rain and a high chance for thunderstorms, but Sudbury said that the inclement conditions may work as an advantage for the Cyclones.

“It is kind of a crap shoot,” Sudbury said. “The one thing about bad weather is that it certainly evens the playing field.”

Sudbury said that Iowa State’s 22 bids are roughly the middle of the pack as far as total bids go, but he also mentioned that the 17 personal records set at the Big 12 conference championship bode well for Iowa State.

“It is really awesome to see kids key on at the end of the year,” Sudbury said. “It shows that we have had a plan all year long to peak at the right time.”

For Cyclones able to peak again this weekend and finish in the top 12 in their events, the final destination on the horizon will be the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Ore., from June 11 to June 14.

The NCAA West Regional will begin May 29.