Jane Groves’ transition to the Iowa State women’s cross country team has been a smooth one for the most part.

Groves, a sophomore transfer from Northwich, England, has been the Cyclones’ top place-finisher in the past two meets. She finished second at the Iowa State Memorial Classic Oct. 19 and third at the Illinois Invitational Oct. 12. Her finishes have helped the ISU women’s team capture three first-place team finishes in the four meets it has competed in.

Groves will compete in the Big 12 Conference Championships tomorrow at the ISU cross country course. The women’s race begins at 10 a.m. and the men’s race starts at 10:45 a.m.

Before transferring from the University of Birmingham, Groves had international racing experience. She competed in the World Junior Cross Country Championship at Stellenbosch, South Africa, in March.

Groves’ racing experience did not prepare her for her first American race at Minnesota Sept. 28. She finished 41st in the 23-team meet, the second highest finish for ISU.

“At Minnesota there just seemed to be so many people,” Groves said. “It was a real shock to me and it was my first race and I didn’t want to get carried away.”

While the transition for Groves has been a smooth one as far as running is concerned, she still encounters problems from time to time.

“Sometimes I say things and people don’t understand or I don’t understand things other people say,” Groves said.

To counter these language problems, Groves compiled a “book of phrases.” In it are words like sports uniform, which the English call running kits.

“When you hear someone say ‘oh that really sucks’, that is a real American thing to say,” Groves said. “I’d get slated (teased) if I said that back home.”

It did not take Groves long to find out the importance of the Big 12 Championships.

“When I came here I wanted to know which of the competitions are important,” she said. “I want to be running my best at certain competitions. After talking to my teammates, I now realize that the big competitions are the Big 12’s and the nationals.”

Iowa State will be one of four rated teams at the Big 12 meet. ISU is rated 23rd, Colorado is rated fourth, Missouri 13th and Baylor 17th.

“We have been running well lately,” ISU Head Coach Dick Lee said. “The team is a real close group, they run well together.”

Iowa State Men’s Head Coach Kevin Bourke said his squad is not looking ahead to the NCAA Regional meet in Peoria, Ill., Nov. 16. The Cyclones have won ten out of the past 15 Big 12 Championships.

“We are taking the Big 12s seriously,” Bourke said. “We have a tradition of doing well at conference meets. Plus, this is a chance to prove ourselves in a new conference.”

Iowa State finished second at the ISU Memorial Classic Oct. 19. Corey Ihmels was the Cyclones top finisher with a fourth-place finish.

“Corey, Kevin Farrow and Simeon Wright have been our most consistent runners so far,” Bourke said. “I look for those three to lead us at the meet Saturday.”

Like the women, the Iowa State men are one of four rated teams in the meet. The Cyclones are rated 23rd, Colorado is rated third, Nebraska 11th and Oklahoma State 14th.

“It will be a tough meet, but I think our experience will help us,” Bourke said. “We will do good if everyone stays together and runs as a team.”