The mission for the Iowa State women’s cross country team is to qualify for nationals, and Andrea Crapisi is ready to do her part to make sure it’s accomplished.

Crapisi, a junior, has led the Cyclones in their first two meets of the year but has her sights set on later in the season.

“I’m looking at helping our team get to nationals. I want to place as high as I can at the district and conference meets. It’s early in the season, and we want to finish strong when it matters,” Crapisi said.

At the season opening Iowa State Open, Crapisi finished strong with a third-place finish but was one of many Cyclones to struggle two weeks later at the Minnesota Invitational where she placed 41st.

“I feel good about my races so far this season. I ran well at the Iowa State Open, and it felt good to get back into running races,” Crapisi said. “I wasn’t too happy with how I ran at Minnesota, and we were disappointed as a team with our performance.”

Crapisi has a strong belief that cross country is just as much mental as it is physical and feels that’s the key to her success.

“When I have a good race I think the main reason is staying mentally tough. A lot of cross country is mental and not giving up, you just have to tell yourself it’s going to hurt and just get through it,” Crapisi said.

Admitting the start of the race is her weakness, Crapisi is quick to credits her teammates with helping her through it.

“I’m not that great at starting. I really gear off my teammates to help me through the start of the race,” Crapisi said.

Crapisi attended high school in Chippewa Falls, Wis., and placed second in the state tournament her senior year in the smaller school division.

“I wasn’t a great runner in high school. I went to a Catholic school and it was small so I didn’t run against a lot of tough competition,” Crapisi said. “I finished second at the state tournament but it wasn’t anything outstanding.”

Once she got to Iowa State, Crapisi experienced first-hand how much hard work a Division I program puts in.

“It’s a different level here. When I was a freshman, the girls pushed and encouraged me and I’d never had that before. It really helped me improve from high school,” Crapisi said.

Crapisi also competes in distance events for the women’s track team and feels it’s very beneficial to her cross country running.

“Most of the girls on the team are out for track and that takes up a lot of time so there is really no off-season,” Crapisi said. “Track offers a really different mindset than cross country. You don’t have hills so it’s a nice change and a good way to improve my speed.”

The Cyclones are back in action tomorrow hosting the Iowa State Memorial Invitational at 11 a.m.