Coming off record finishes last year and bringing in plenty of young legs for support, the Cyclone cross country team is primed for a breakout 2010.

United State Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association completes preseason rankings, and in the Midwest region, the Cyclone women are ranked first, while the men are third.

“This year we would like to be in the top three or four in conference, and the men want to shoot for top three,” said coach Corey Ihmels.

The team also hopes to place nationally, once their Big 12 success is complete. The men’s team finished 16th, and their current pre-season ranking is No. 18, while the women finished No. 17 and start the year ranked No. 16.

The runners are looking positively on the upcoming season and developing the new talent the team has acquired.

“We lost a lot of guys, so the team is fairly young, and we have to step into the shoes we just lost,” said redshirt senior Ben Murphy-Baum.

The team’s top returning runner, senior Hillary Bor, who finished 8th in the Big 12 in 2009, is back for another go after finishing 37th in the NCAA Cross Country Championships last season.

“This year, I would like to be All-American, and try to help the team make it to nationals,” Bor said.

For new runners, the cross-country team and its practices at the college level will present many challenges, physical and mental.

“I am looking forward to the new experience of having a big team since I came from a small school. I am really excited because I know I am already stronger and faster than I was last year,” said freshman Morgan Casey.

The team is scheduled for its first meet at 11 a.m. Friday at the Drake Classic in Des Moines.

“We are using this meet as a way to see where we are at,” coach Ihmels said.