Because of the possibility of inclement weather over the next few days, the Northern Iowa Invitational the bulk of the men’s track team was scheduled to compete in was canceled. After scrambling at the last second, the coaching staff was able to set up a trip to Missouri State for the Big Bear Invitational.

Several of the distance runners, including Jayden Russ and Hillary Bor, will instead head to California for the Stanford Invitational, splitting the men’s team along the same line as the women’s.

Junior James Galvan will make his outdoor debut this weekend running a leg on the 4-by-400-meter relay. Distance runners Kiel Uhl and Guor Majak will also get their first outdoor starts.

The Cyclones are coming off of a successful start to the outdoor season at last weekend’s Missouri Relays. Although weather conditions were not ideal, head coach Corey Ihmels felt the team responded well.

“We could have gone outdoors in the bad weather and laid an egg, but I think everybody went out and did the best they were capable of,” Ihmels said.

Iowa State saw standout performances from several athletes, including thrower Luke Pinkelman. The freshman from Cozad, Neb., who redshirted during the indoor season, threw an NCAA-regional-qualifying 57 feet, 7.50 inches in the shot put. Also, senior Stefan Tauber finished in an impressive third place in the long jump and the javelin throw.

“Up and down the lineup, we had some good things happen,” Ihmels said. “It was just one of those early-season meets where everybody is trying to shake the rust off.”

While the outdoor season is in full swing, the coaching staff is working on building for the future. The first-year coaching staff, under Ihmels’ direction, recently announced the full recruiting class for the 2008-09 season. Included among the new recruits are three of the top athletes in Iowa and five more recruits from across the country.

One highlights among the incoming freshmen is Devin Allbaugh of Pleasant Valley High School. In 2007, he was named the Iowa High School Gatorade Runner of the Year, and he is also the two-time state champion in the 3,200-meter run.

Another in-state talent, Bryce Colston, will also be suiting up for the Cyclones next year. The sprinter, from Cedar Rapids, was last year’s 3A champion in the 200-meter dash, and he took second in the 100-meter.

In the field events, Iowa State landed Zachary Richards, one of the top recruits in the nation, from Monroe, Wash. Richards is the nation’s top high school senior in the hammer throw, holding a personal best score of 221 feet, 3.00 inches.

Rounding out the list of recruits on the track side is Clint Martin from Boone, Matthew Brinkley of Fort Meade, Md.; and Ian Warner, from Ontario, Canada. Joining Richards in the field events will be javelin thrower Daniel Newhouse of Aurora, Ill., and high-jumper Tony Johnson of Elko, Minn.

Even though the future looks promising, Ihmels said the team is still focused on the current season.

“Obviously we’re real excited about what’s ahead, but we’re also excited about what we have,” Ihmels said. “We have to keep focused on what we have now, but I think we have some bright days ahead.”