Several ISU athletes will be bringing their books to this year’s Big 12 conference track meet in Norman, Okla.

With competition starting Thursday, the team left Wednesday, so most of the team will be studying for finals when the time is available.

Men’s head coach Steve Lynn said the meet not only coincides with Dead Week, but is also two weeks earlier than usual.

“We can’t run our meet when we traditionally would have because of the regional meet,” he said. “The Big 12 picks the weekend that has the fewest number of finals on it. Unfortunately, Dead Week is worse than Finals Week as far as competition is concerned.

“It’s tough on the kids. It’s Dead Week and kids are trying to finish projects and some people are taking tests.”

Lynn said the student-athletes can focus on studying when study time is there and focus on competing when competing time is there.

“Normally, we come out of Drake Relays, we have a chance to rest for a week and then [we] train real hard for a week to get ready for the conference meet,” Lynn said. “That’s not the case this year.”

Women’s head coach Dick Lee said only his top performers are traveling to Norman.

“With the situation we’re in with finals next week and kids missing a couple of days the last week of classes, we’re only taking kids that have earned a spot in the top 20 of their event,” Lee said. “We’re being more restrictive on who to take, so we don’t screw up some kids’ final exams.”

Lynn said he expects his athletes to be ready for top-notch competition.

“[The Big 12 meet is] one of the top meets in the nation every year. This year is no exception to that,” Lynn said. “You look through the list of the top performances in the country and it’s littered with Big 12 athletes. So the guys going in there have to be on top of their game in order to do [well].”

Lynn also said the weather hasn’t cooperated as well as he’d like in previous meets and it has affected the performances of his athletes.

“We haven’t had a chance [to do well] when we’re going into meets where it’s raining or 30 mph winds,” he said. “I think we’re ready for some really good performances.”

Lynn said the throwers might be the highlight for the men’s team. Matt Murdock and Tyson Hilgenberg will be competing in the javelin, Jamal Salahuddin in the shot and discus, and Tony Stewart and Kris Ruhland in the hammer throw.

On the track, Lynn said hurdlers Ryan Boyington and Dan Zelik should do well, despite some nagging injuries.

“Both are a little banged up,” Lynn said. “Neither are 100 percent health-wise.”

Boyington has been struggling with tendinitis in his knee for most of the season.

“[The pain] has been coming on more than normal lately,” Boyington said.

On the women’s side, Lee believes the athletes that have the best shot at placing high are Sheba Clarke in the 100-meter dash and Rebecca Williams in the 100-meter hurdles. Jessica Huff was last week’s Big 12 outdoor athlete of the week after winning the 1500-meter run at the Drake Relays and setting her collegiate personal best time.

Sprints and hurdles coach Scott Roberts is particularly excited about Williams’ and Clarke’s chances.

“Rebecca had a lifetime best at Drake Relays in the 100-meter hurdles,” Roberts said. “She’s going into the conference meet ranked fourth, I believe. She’s worked very hard this year on her technique and made a lot of progress in that area.”

Roberts said Clarke is going into the meet with a slight injury, but should be ready to compete in Oklahoma.

“She had the second fastest time going into finals at Drake,” he said. “Right at the end of her prelim, her hamstring grabbed a little bit. We’re going to take it easy on her this week.”

Most of Lee’s runners have already qualified for the NCAA Midwest Regional in College Station, Texas, May 29-30. Those that haven’t still have a chance to qualify.

“We have this meet plus the next two weekends after it for qualifying for regionals,” Lee said. “In fact, we’ll have people going to the meet two weeks after the conference meet for those that have already qualified and for those that are close to qualifying. [This is] just to keep the kids who are qualified for regionals [running] because we can’t just take off a month from racing.”