The ISU men’s cross-country team heads to Iowa City on Friday for its second meet of the season, the Iowa Black and Gold Invite at the Ashton Cross-Country Course.

Senior Nick Schulze is excited for his first competitive meet of the season.

“This is a meet where we can maybe build some confidence,” Schulze said. “We will also get to see where we are at, and what we need to keep improving on.”

The Cyclones have never run this race before, and are hoping to come back with a win.

“I’m pretty pumped up,” Schulze said. “A 6K is a little bit shorter than what we are used to, but it’s a nice stepping stone.”

The men’s team will compete against Iowa and Alabama.

“We would like to win,” Schulze said. “It’s Iowa’s meet and its ‘Beat Iowa’ weekend. With the guys we have and the hype, we can hopefully win.”

Schulze said that aside from typical soreness, the men’s team is 100-percent healthy.

Seven runners from the team will compete at the Black and Gold Invite; the women’s team will compete in the 4K first at 6 p.m, and the men’s 6K will directly follow.