With the familiar faces of Stacy Frese and Desiree Francis no longer around, the Iowa State women’s basketball team looks to the angular features of Angie Welle to be a leader on this year’s squad.Her long face and 6’4″ frame should fill the void nicely.From her 10-10 performance from the field against Baylor last season to her being named later in the year as an Associated Press’s honorable mention All-American, Welle’s bio at Iowa State is as astounding as it is long. And she is just entering her junior year.Welle was tabbed as the pre-season Big 12 Player of the Year and said that it is quite an honor.”Teams used to say ‘don’t let Stacy [Frese] beat us’ or ‘don’t let Megan [Taylor] beat us, let’s make Angie do it,'” Welle said. “It’s nice to get recognition for your work.”She prepared for the upcoming season by lifting weights and running on the familiar North Dakota roads that she grew up on. She also made it a point to become more ambidextrous while handling the ball and shooting.But Welle is not ready to steal the limelight with either hand yet. The focus, Welle will tell you, is “on the team this year.” She believes that fans may be a little “apprehensive” because of the lost talent from last season, but the team is “looking great right now,” Welle boasts.The Cyclones may need to transfer the practice performances to game-time performances. A difficult schedule faces this class of Cyclones. They play two respected and talented teams in Duke and North Carolina.And then conference play begins.Texas Tech and Kansas will be contests, but “Oklahoma might be tough,” said Welle. “All tough games,” adds the junior, “are on the road [this year].”The road may be the most “hostile” at Kansas State for Welle and the rest of the Cyclones. Welle is amazed at the amount of research that goes into their jeers and taunts, which makes Manhattan the most difficult place to play in the Big 12 for Welle.Where last year, Welle would have “sat back” and let the two aforementioned seniors lead the team when away from Hilton, she expects more of a collective effort this season. “Everybody this year is going to know their role,” Welle said.Even with the success of previous teams, this year’s squad has set no expectations. Welle believes the team is just taking it “step-by-step” for now.