The ISU men’s and women’s track and field teams brought home a handful of regional qualifiers after performing on the East Coast for the first time in the outdoor season Friday and Saturday.

The teams competed in the Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta. Olympic hopefuls were also present to hone their skills against collegiate athletes.

Women’s coach Dick Lee said there were two reasons the team chose to attend the invitational.

“We still had some kids trying to get qualified for regionals,” Lee said. “There were two more kids that got qualified for the regional meet: Jenny Mockler in the 800 meters and Sara Boisen in the 400-meter hurdles. They were our two best performances and accomplished our major goal of what we were shooting for.

“Also, there were some kids that already qualified. They were just trying to get another meet in between the conference and regional meets.”

Lee said it was a productive meet for the women’s team.

Jessica Huff took 12th place in the 1,500-meter run with a season-best time, and Ada Anderson earned a 17th-place finish in the 800-meter run. Both runners had previously qualified for the regional meet.

The jump events were also a high point for the Cyclone women. Leigh Wagner garnered a 16th-place finish in the high jump. Jummy Alowonle and Priya Hoze earned ninth and 18th places, respectively, in the long jump.

Mockler said she was impressed with the meet.

“This was the biggest meet that I ran in all year; a lot more people,” Mockler said. “This was a fast track, and everyone on the team ran fast.”

Mockler said the weather conditions were perfect, which helped her to run better and qualify for regionals.

Sprint coach Scott Roberts said it was do-or-die time for Boisen to qualify for the regional meet.

Boisen, a freshman, said she felt relaxed going into the Georgia Tech meet.

“This helps get my confidence up to where it should be,” she said. “I just came in and did really well and ran a good race to see if could qualify, and I did.”

Men’s coach Steve Lynn said it was his first time at the Georgia Tech Invitational.

“I have never been there before, since it usually falls on the same weekend as our conference meet,” Lynn said. “[It] was the best meet in the country to go to at this time. This was a good, positive experience, and we would go again if our schedule gives us that opportunity.”

The meet also had many high marks for the Cyclone men.

Jamal Salahuddin placed third in the discus and 11th in the shot put. Matt Murdock earned a fourth-place finish in the javelin. In the long jump, Daniel Kaczmarczyk earned a sixth-place finish, and teammate Tony Douglas was close behind him in ninth. Kaczmarczyk also placed ninth in the triple jump.

The runners also earned high marks. In the 400-meter hurdles, Ryan Boyington was 17th, and Justin Sherman placed 23rd. In the 800-meter run, Abraham Rotich earned 26th.

The highest running mark for the runners came from the 1,600-meter relay team. The team of Elijah Braimah, Ryan Boyington, Jerod Torrey and Jared Graham earned a second-place finish.

Lynn was happy with all of the performances but said he was extremely pleased with three who improved on their regional-qualifying times.

“Daniel Kaczmarczyk bettered his performance and is starting to figure things out in the long jump. Ryan Boyington moved up the list in the 400-meter hurdles. He has fought a knee injury and has shown that he is back,” Lynn said. “The [1,600-meter] relay team moved up the most. There is now a possibility that [the 1,600-meter relay team] will be in the top eight in the regional meet. That will put us in a faster heat.”

The Georgia Tech Invitational featured numerous schools from the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern Conferences, as well as unattached performers getting ready for the Olympics. The only Big 12 foes present were the Texas and Baylor men’s teams and the Baylor and Kansas women’s squads.

Boyington, who ran a personal record in the 400-meter hurdles, said he was glad to see new competition in Atlanta.

“It was definitely nice to run against different people, running against different styles,” he said. “There are only two weeks ’til the regional meet and it was good to see great competition. The competition will even be better at the regional meet.”

Boyington, who is a senior, has noticed the benefits of seeing new venues during his career.

Mockler also saw advantages in running against new competitors.

“I didn’t know anyone,” Mockler said. “It was easier running against different people. I didn’t run against people that I knew that I could run with; I ran to get my time.”

Boisen said it was good to see new competition and to see where she stands in the country.

“It is fun to see other campuses and other schools,” Boisen said.

“[The atmosphere] was a little different. Atlanta, Ga., is a little different than Ames, Iowa,” Boyington said. “The atmosphere is one of the great things that you get when you run for a Division I school. You get the experience of running in a lot of different venues.”