With many of its top runners from last year returning, the Cyclone women’s cross country team will be able to build off of the previous season’s success. With only three seniors this year, the Cyclones will want to not only have a solid 2006 but also to build for a strong 2007 season.

Iowa State finished ninth at the Big 12 conference meet and 15th at the Midwest regional last year. All of the women that factored into last year’s meets have returned.

Coach Dick Lee said the team is starting off the season healthy and wants to improve on last year’s conference and regional finish.

“We have a potentially stronger team than last year and hope to move up in the team placings,” Lee said.

Lee said the team may even have a chance at nationals.

“[Nationals] is not out of the realm of possibilities this year,” Lee said. “We will have to wait until midseason and see how were running.”

For a team to qualify for nationals it has to finish in the top two in its region. Each region is usually comprised of about 30 teams. A team that finishes third or fourth at regionals can still qualify at-large for nationals based on its performances throughout the year, however.

The team’s goal is improvement, said sophomore Lisa Koll.

“We have a lot of really good newcomers and the returnees have come back in a lot better shape than last year,” Koll said. “We would like to finish in the top five or six in the conference and improve on our finishes from last year.”

The conference, however, is hard to predict until everyone starts racing, Lee said.

The traditionally strong teams and national qualifiers include Colorado – last year’s conference champion – Baylor, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma State, who earned 10th place at nationals last year.

“To crack that top five or six you have to be really running well,” Lee said.

Koll is the leading returnee and was the top finisher for Iowa State in both the conference and regional meets last year. She finished 27th at the Big 12s and 32nd at regionals.

Koll said her goal individually is to make nationals this year.

“I’ve done more training this summer than I ever have before,” Koll said. “Last year I was close enough to qualifying that I know it’s within reach this year, so I would like to make it and run my best at nationals.”

Another returning runner is senior Meredith McKean, who finished 87th out of 110 competitors last year at regionals.

McKean said ideally, for her senior season at Iowa State, she would like for the team to finish in the top half of the Big 12.

“I would like our team to finish in the top six in the conference and go out strong at regionals,” McKean said. “The last three years I have ran really well at regionals and I hope to capitalize on that this year.”

McKean also said a new training plan may cause her not to have as much speed in the first couple of meets, but she hopes to finish strong.

“I am hoping to build on this new plan to finish the year strong,” McKean said. “I would like to place in the top half of the conference.”

The Cyclones first meet is the Drake Fall Classic at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 1 in Des Moines .

Women’s cross country roster:

Teresa Booth Jr. Stanton, Iowa

Dawn Caffrey Jr. Ankeny, Iowa

Bobbie Humble So. Cedar Falls, Iowa

Lisa Koll So. Fort Dodge, Iowa

Mackenzie Madison Jr. Ankeny, Iowa

Meredith McKean Sr. Armstrong, Iowa

Krysta Metz Sr. Atlantic, Iowa

Jennifer Mockler Sr. Formby, England

Madeline Peck Jr. Blaine, Minn.

Erin Penticoff So. Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Dana Peters So. Nerstrand, Minn.

Kiera Vogel So. Merseyside, England

Jessi Wild So. Cedarburg, Wis.