Cyclones excited for Husker Invitational

Ian+Warner+pushes+past+the+finish+line+of+the+60-meter+dash+during+Saturday%E2%80%99s+Bill+Bergan+Invitational+at+Lied.+Warner+placed+first+in+the+finals+with+a+time+of+6.75.+

Photo: Yue Wu/Iowa State Daily

Ian Warner pushes past the finish line of the 60-meter dash during Saturday’s Bill Bergan Invitational at Lied. Warner placed first in the finals with a time of 6.75.

Sally Donlin

The ISU men’s and women’s track and field teams will be headed to 
Lincoln, Neb., this weekend to compete in the Husker Invitational at the Devaney Sports Center.

Coach Ihmels is just looking forward to getting his team a change of scenery.

“I think this weekend is a great opportunity for us to leave this building,” said Ihmels. “We are in here a lot and we just need to get on a bus and get out of town.”

After placing second in last week’s meet the team’s confidence is up and it continues working hard, including Ian Warner and Amara Sama.

Both made a big impact on the Cyclones’ outcome of last week’s meet. Warner earned first in the 60-meter dash with Sama just .05 seconds behind, and Ihmels has high hopes for the two in the upcoming meet.

“Sama and Ian come to practice everyday and go to work and make each other better. They are great kids doing things the right way,” Ihmels said.

Sama and Warner continue to raise the bar by improving their times each week.

“I’m just excited for this week and going to Nebraska,” Warner said.

Heading to nationals is a possibility for Warner, although he admits it won’t be easy.

“I’m going to have to put in some work and run a lot faster than I did today, but I can definitely do it,” Warner said.

On the women’s team, thrower Danielle Frere was sick last week but is looking to recuperate this week and get back on track.

“I’m just looking to get back into it,” Frere said. “I’m not expecting any big throws or anything. We’ll just see what happens.”

The distance runners, for the most part, will not be racing this weekend. They will just be continuing to train.

“They are looking good,” assistant coach Kristy Popp said. “I think they are excited to get out there and continue racing. I think they’ll benefit a lot from having the week off.”

However, the majority of the mid-distance runners will be competing this Popp said.

The Cyclones will once again be facing a more challenging field at the Husker Invitational.

“The way the schedule is set up makes each week a little bit harder,” Ihmels said.

The meet will begin with field at 5 p.m. Friday and events on the track beginning at 6 p.m.