The ISU women’s golf team gets an early taste of spring break weather Friday when it heads to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to tee off for its first tournament of the spring season.

The Cyclones are competing in the Puerto Rico Classic, a three-day event that runs through Sunday.

“It’s a really neat atmosphere, so we’re excited to get down to play,” said ISU coach Christie Martens. The Cyclones are one of 16 teams competing in the tournament, including Big 12 foes Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Hermes stressed how important this event is to the rest of the season.

“It’s really important to get off to a good start and see where we can benchmark ourselves against some other teams,” Hermes said. “We’ve had a really productive winter and really good commitment to practicing.”

The team hopes to improve on its fall season, where it ended up in last place in the Big 12.

“We didn’t play to our potential in the fall,” Hermes said.

It is, however, a young team. Of the five Cyclone players competing in this weekend’s tournament, there are no seniors and only one junior. Hermes said she sees the team’s youth as a positive.

“The great thing is that everyone really has high goals and that we have time to grow and develop together,” Hermes said. “Most of our players have played quite a bit nationally, so experience isn’t as much of a problem.”

One of those players is sophomore Kendra Hanson, who recorded a team-best stroke average of 76.55 last fall. Hermes said Hanson is one of the leaders on this year’s team.

“She’s really worked hard, and is a very competitive person,” Hermes said.

As much as the team is looking forward to the warm weather this weekend, it always try to keep their overall goal in mind. Hermes said the team always looks forward to the Big 12 Women’s Golf Championships at the end of the season, which go a long way in determining where teams finish overall. The championships are being held in Lincoln, Neb., this year, which Hermes said plays into the Cyclones hand.

“Midwest golf is a lot different than southern golf, so that’s going to be a great advantage for us,” Hermes said.

Hermes was hired as head coach of the Cyclones last spring, so this marks her first full season at Iowa State. She said she expects good things from this year’s team, and with nowhere to go but up, the outlook looks as bright as the sun in San Juan.

The tournament begins Friday at the Dorado Del Mar Country Club.