Ask any track coach what the most important part of being able to run successfully in track and field is, and they all answer the same – confidence.

In a mental sport such as track and field, confidence can bridge the gap between the experienced and young runners. A young team is exactly what track and field coach Dick Lee will take into the Adidas Track Classic held at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on the University of Nebraska campus.

Although they are a young team, the Cyclones should not lack confidence after a strong showing at the ISU Open last weekend, during which the Cyclones claimed four titles and 12 top 10 spots throughout the two-day event.

“In anything you do, confidence helps you. Whether it’s in the classroom or on the job or running,” Lee said. “Like we tell the kids, you have to believe you can do it, even if you have to fool yourself into thinking it. Even if you’re not totally prepared you have to have the confidence you’re going to be able to do your best. That’s always a big key, in any activity that you do.”

If the Cyclones were looking to accomplish anything in the first two meets of the season, it was to gain confidence – something that is crucial for any team, but especially young teams such as Iowa State.

“Definitely, we want them to come in and feel like they are moving forward with their training and that kind of a thing,” Lee said. “The Big 12 Conference is a nasty animal and a young person can come in and get beat up really fast.”

Because of the young runners on the team, this is the first time many of the athletes have ran a track meet outside the familiar walls of the Lied Recreation Athletic Center. This includes two freshmen, who assistant coach Scott Roberts is expecting big things from in the future.

Lashawn Wright and Jenna Caffrey will both be running their first college road meet.

“It will be a different atmosphere, different place; you’ll have different people there,” Caffrey said. “I think it will be different, but I am also excited.”

Both Caffrey and Wright have had success making the quick adjustment from high school to college running and have been impressive in doing so.

Caffrey has looked strong early on, finishing right behind teammate Rebecca Williams for second place in the 60-meter hurdles, and then finishing closely behind Wright for the third in the 60-meter dash.

Wright finished second in the 60, third in the 200 and ran the second-fastest leg in the Cyclones’ winning 4×300 relay.

“Being a freshman, it’s tough – especially being from Texas and coming up to the cold weather,” Wright said. “Being indoors is kind of nice and I’ve never really [ran] indoor track before so I’m still kind of learning.”

The Adidas Track Classic serves as a more competitive meet, getting the team ready for the competitive ISU Classic and Big 12 Conference meets, which loom in the Cyclones’ future.

“It’s not a meet that’s so out-of-hand that our young kids won’t compete well,” Roberts said.

“I think they will [compete well], but it’s just a situation where we are starting to step it up a little bit each week, and this will be kind of a good warm up for [the Iowa State Classic].”