The ISU men’s and women’s track and field teams will begin their 2013 season Friday at the Lied Recreation Athletic Center.

The teams will be competing in the Holiday Preview, an event that has historically been a tune-up for the majority of the team. This year doesn’t appear to be any different.

“It’s a great opportunity for our jumpers, our throwers, our sprinters,” said ISU coach Corey Ihmels. “It’s a chance for them to get on the track and get in a competitive environment before we go away for break.”

For the men’s high-jumpers though, the Holiday Preview will be the place for some of their best heights of the season.

“We can kind of set up to, not necessarily get our best jump of the year, but at least kind of have a pretty decent peak this time of year, and then get back into training and try to peak again in February,” said assistant coach Pete Herber.

Like the athletes in the other events, the men’s high-jumpers have been preparing for the indoor track season for months.

“You look at it and tell these guys the whole semester, ‘We’ve been training for three months, now this is your reward; this is the golden nugget there that we’ve been going for, so let’s try to go out and have a good competition,'” Herber said.

For the sprinters and hurdlers, assistant coach Nate Wiens said that while the team wants to do well in every race, the Holiday Preview is more of measuring stick.

“Let’s see where people’s hearts and minds are when it comes down to competition,” Wiens said.

With the majority of the distance runners coming off of a break after competing in cross-country, Ihmels said there will be few competing in the meet Friday.

The Cyclones competition at the Holiday Preview will include 17 different schools in addition to Iowa State. Start time for the meet is 10 a.m. Friday.