With all the media attention surrounding the Drake Relays, it would be easy for the Kip Janvrin Invitational to get lost in the shuffle.

Make no mistake about it, there is still progress to be made at the meet at Simpson College.

Junior Michael Zika, sophomore Hayli Bozarth and junior Laishema Hampton will all be competing unattached. Bozarth will be throwing the hammer, shot put and discus.

“I just had a big [personal record] in the hammer [throw] last week, so I’m just going to try to go in and build off of that,” Bozarth said. “If we don’t get another PR, just be consistent with it.”

Bozarth’s training also has her ripe for a big weekend in the shot put.

During the indoor season, she put up a personal best 49 feet, 7 3/4 inches at the ISU classic. During last year’s outdoor season, she set a personal best mark of 46 feet, 1/2 inch at the USA Championships.

After competing for Iowa State as a freshman, Bozarth took a redshirt for her sophomore season. This is a less common strategy, as athletes usually redshirt as freshman or before their first year of athletic competition.

“Having competed my first year and going to junior nationals was a big eye opener for me,” Bozarth said. “I think it puts me in a good place for next year, coming in with the conference getting stronger in all events. This is giving me a chance to get bigger, stronger and make the improvements I need to make.”

Hampton will also be competing in the hammer throw and shot put at the Janvrin Invite.

During the indoor season, she set a personal best mark in the shot put at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. She hit her mark just farther than 50 feet.

She finished in the top five in the shot put in three of the indoor competitions. Hampton is recently switching from a gliding to a spinning technique for the shot put.

“After the indoor season, me and coach decided that I’d throw farther if I used the spinning method instead of the glide,” Hampton said. “I’m really fast when I do things, so spinning slows me down some. This helps me get a better technique and hit farther marks.”

Hampton said the new technique has helped her improve so far during training.