The ISU men’s and women’s cross country will play host to this weekend’s Iowa Intercollegiate meet.

The Iowa State Athletic Department changed the name of the ISU Open to the Iowa Intercollegiate in an attempt to attract more junior college runners from the state of Iowa. By taking this measure, the Iowa State Athletic Department hopes to bring as many cross country runners from all levels of collegiate competition as possible, ensuring the meet’s competitive nature to remain in tact and hopefully increase. Last year’s meet for the women only featured 55 runners, 31 of whom were from a school in Iowa. On the men’s side, the meet only featured 42 runners, 35 of whom were from Iowa.

“We’re excited to be able to host a meet that all of the schools in Iowa can attend and have a chance to run on our course,” head coach Corey Ihmels said in a press release. “It’s exciting in a sense that maybe we can get all the schools in the state of Iowa to attend and have some really great competition.”

This year Daniel Murray, alongside redshirt freshman and Bulldog Classic runner-up Charlie Paul, look to lead the pack for the men. Erin Penticoff and Kayla Marsh look to improve on their third and fifth place Bulldog Classic finishes, respectively, to lead the women.

The Cyclone men are currently ranked 25th in the nation and fourth in the Midwest region. They are only one of three Big 12 teams ranked in the preseason top 30 rankings. On the other side of the coin, the Cyclone women are ranked 28th in the nation and third in the Midwest region. They are one of four Big 12 teams ranked in the preseason top 30 rankings.

The Iowa Intercollegiate is set to start at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow at the Iowa State Cross Country Course in Ames. The women will run first, followed by the men, who are set to start at 11:45 a.m.