For the final time this season, the ISU women’s track and field team will take to the road.

Just two weeks before the Big 12 Conference Championships, the Cyclones will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., to compete in the Arkansas Twilight.

“This is just one more good opportunity,” head coach Corey Ihmels said. “It gives us a chance to get together as a group and sure up the lineup for the conference meet.”

The Cyclones will use the meet to gauge their progression going into the conference meet, held May 15-17 in Lubbock, Texas.

Freshman Kianna Elahi will try to carry her successes from last weekend’s Drake Relays into Arkansas in the 400-meter hurdle event.

Elahi has hovered around the 60-second mark all season, but has shown improvement over the course of the outdoor season.

Assistant coach Nate Wiens said he expects to see Elahi continue to improve this weekend against a competitive field, something she has yet to see this season.

“I’m looking to get her in a race with someone that isn’t 15 meters behind her,” Wiens said. “She’s still learning. She’s one of those people who can get up and go get people.”

Wiens said that Elahi has only been challenged in one race this season — only her second competition in the 400-meter event — so he is hoping his star freshman can get a challenge before the conference championships.

Fellow hurdler Jenna Caffrey is also coming off of a strong performance at Drake, earning sixth in the 100-meter hurdles. Caffrey’s time was 13.76 seconds last weekend, her season-best performance in the event.

“[Caffrey] is getting back to where she’s figuring it out again,” Wiens said. “She had a rough couple of years, but we’re right back up to what she used to be running.”

A time of 13.76 qualified Caffrey for the NCAA regional competition, but Wiens is hoping to get her into her second NCAA Championship competition — her first since her freshman season.

Caffrey and Elahi alike are sure to be part of relay teams this weekend for the Cyclones, just as they were at Drake. The relays squads, however, will need to improve on their baton exchanges.

Wiens said he has changed up the order of some of the relays, hoping to improve the synergy within the groups.

Also making the trip to Arkansas will be the group of throwers that have improved throughout the season.

Senior Amy Waggoner and the rest of the young group will get another shot to qualify for the NCAA regional, or to improve their qualifying marks before the conference meet.

“I think they had some good things happen at this meet last year, so they’re excited about getting another opportunity,” Ihmels said.

Ihmels said he had yet to have a chance to sit down and discuss the group’s progression through the season with the group’s coach, John Dagata.

“I don’t think that they were satisfied with what happened at Drake,” Ihmels said. “This is the time of year where you want to start to see things coming around, so I think it’s time [for them] to see that.”

The group is also looking to get another meet in between Arkansas and the Big 12 meet, and Ihmels said.

Historically, meets have been held at Nebraska and Minnesota, and each could be choices for Ihmels to send small groups of athletes that need another competition.

“There’s a chance that we may,” Ihmels said. “We’ll see how the [Arkansas] meet goes and who needs another competition.”