Coach Corey Ihmels and his track and field team of more than 50 men will compete in the second meet of the year this weekend at the Bill Bergan Invitational in Ames.

With one meet behind it, the team won’t have trouble staying motivated with the Big 12 Conference meet which is less than a month away.

With so much going on and so many athletes doing different things under one roof, Ihmels gives some insight to what his athletes are thinking.

“The athletes that came out and performed this weekend, you have your practices and the meets take care of themselves,” Ihmels said Saturday. “Those that didn’t run well, they have another opportunity.”

The competition this week is heating up with some Big Ten teams as well as the Big 12. Ihmels said each week gets more challenging than the last with the teams coming in.

“The first couple weeks are going to be rough,” said assistant coach Pete Herber. “But our goal is to be ready to go by the time we get to the [Iowa State] Classic.”

With another rung up the ladder this weekend, the ISU men are that much closer to reaching their goals.

“This weekend is to build for conference,” said thrower Henry Kelley. “Try to set a positive pattern for five from now.”

Prior to the Big 12 Championships, the team will focus on this weekend. It may be easier after it showcased its talents in a meet once before.

“Last meet, I got a lot of barriers out of the way mentally to be able to build positively for the future of our indoor season,” Kelley said.

The Bill Bergan Invitational will begin at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Lied Recreation Athletic Center and will go until Saturday.