As March rounds the corner into the outdoor track season, athletes will perform a “last chance” effort this weekend for goals on the indoor track.

ISU athletes will compete in the Last Chance NCAA Qualifier meet this weekend at Lied Recreation Athletic Center. Here, runners will try to hit qualifying times in order to place positions on the team so they can travel during the outdoor season, as well as make a national qualifying spot for next weekend.

“You get there physically, but it’s also a mental game,” said assistant coach Travis Hartke.

One runner that will be competing for a national spot next week is Ejiro Okoro. Okoro will be racing in the 800-meter run. However, getting there is easier said than done.

“She went out in .57 [seconds] in the [distance medley relay] and she came back pretty well and ran a 2:07,” Hartke said. “If she goes out a little bit slower, it’s doable. I think she has the capability to run a 2:05.”

During the first 400 meters of the race, the Cyclones will put in a rabbit — someone who keeps a fast, steady pace for the first half of the event — but then the last 400 meters will be up to Okoro.

Also competing in this weekend’s qualifier is mid-distance runner Emily Meese. Meese will be racing against the clock to lock in a position in order to travel with the team during the outdoor season.

“I didn’t hit the time I wanted to hit for Big 12s and I unfortunately got left at home,” Meese said. “I’m just trying to get my time down and see where I’m at.”

Once this weekend is over, preparation for nationals and the outdoor track season begin. But with a lapse of time in between, runners will have to stay fit and focused.

“We’ll try to get better in the next couple weeks, work out hard and stay motivated with school and all that kind of stuff, because we kind of have a lull in between indoor and outdoor [seasons],” Meese said.

Coach Corey Ihmels reflected on the meet in terms of how that will play and affect this weekend at the qualifiers.

“Going to the conference meet and doing the way we did on both sides, I thought we did a great job where we had people who really stepped up,” Ihmels said.

After this weekend, select runners will head to Boise, Idaho, for the NCAA Indoor Championships while others begin preparation for the outdoor track season.