The ISU men’s track and field team heads to Lincoln, Neb., this weekend for the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships.

“It is an important meet. It’s kind of our first step with this program,” said first-year head coach Corey Ihmels.

Ihmels said the track program is in the process of rebuilding, and the Big 12 meet could be a big step.

“It’s a work in progress. It’s not going to happen overnight,” Ihmels said. “We want to make some steps towards moving up the ladder in the Big 12.”

The coach said the team has momentum heading in.

“We are excited about getting in there and competing hard and trying to have as many guys as we can running on Saturday in the finals,” Ihmels said.

The Cyclones face strong competition from the other teams in the Big 12. Seven of the teams competing this weekend are in the top 25 of the men’s indoor rankings.

Iowa State has several athletes who placed in last year’s championships, including junior sprinter Jared Lewis.

Lewis finished second in the 60-meter dash at last year’s meet with a time of 6.75 seconds.

“The bar for excellence is a little bit higher,” said Lewis. “It kinda gives me encouragement to get ready to run.”

Ihmels is confident that Lewis will be prepared.

“He had a great meet last year indoors, and he will rise to the occasion,” said Ihmels.

Ihmels is hoping the returning athletes will be a source of leadership for the men’s team.

Distance runner Guor Majak will also compete this weekend after a successful performance at last year’s championships. Majak finished third in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 30 minutes, 39.21 seconds. He also earned sixth-place finishes in the 5,000-meter and 3,000-meter runs.

Zac Brouillette will participate in the men’s weight throw for the Cyclones. At last year’s Big 12 championships, Brouillette had a career-best throw of 51 feet, 3.50 inches.

The Cyclones finished in 10th at the 2007 championships with 43 points. Kevin Born, Brandon Rooney, Jayden Russ, Johnny Reel and David Lantz also placed for Iowa State last year.

Lewis said he thinks the team could surprise people.

“I would like to see other teams see how we perform and think, ‘Iowa State – they came out of nowhere and surprised us and gave us some good competition,'” Lewis said.