It’s here.

The meet that Iowa State men’s track and field fans and Ames dwellers have been waiting for has finally arrived.

The Iowa State Classic.

“There’s a lot of hype surrounding this meet,” said sophomore middle-distance runner Roshon Roomes. “One of the greatest indoor meets we have.”

Roomes has been an important piece for the Cyclones this year in the middle-distance category. He ran in a few relays and has nice times to go with it.

Sophomore Frank Hayes has also been solid for the Cyclones this year and he wants to continue that success at home this weekend.

“We’re pretty much ready for this weekend,” Hayes said. “We all know what we have to do.”

Hayes has been another key piece in the 400-meter and 800-meter runs. Roomes and Hayes will both be running the 800-meter this weekend, along with sophomores Festus Lagat and Zach Black and senior Jaymes Dennison.

Since it’s a home meet for the Cyclones, the team will be on full display with their most talented athletes showcasing their skills.

One name to look out for is sophomore distance runner Andrew Jordan. Jordan is slated to run both the 5000-meter run and the 3000-meter run, but he will likely only do one of them.

Jordan’s last run came in the UW Invitational in Seattle on Jan. 27. Jordan ran the 3000-meter run and he finished with a time of 7:56.61, placing him fifth in that event. That was the third-fastest time in Iowa State history for that event.

Jordan will now hope for a repeat of the success he had a couple weeks ago as he shows off his talent in front of the home crowd.

The indoor season is starting to come down to the wire as the Big 12 Indoor Championships are only two weeks away and the NCAA Indoor Championships are in less than a month.

As the season winds down, the Iowa State Classic is an important meet for many teams because runners need to qualify for a chance to run in the NCAA Indoor Championships. With only about a month left, teams will be out in full force in front of the Ames crowd.

The Cyclones will host only one more event before the end of the indoor season, which will be the Big 12 Indoor Championships. Hayes said he is excited to run outside.

“I’m ready to get back outdoors,” Hayes said. “It’s so much easier than running indoors.”

Hayes has outdoor personal bests in the 800-meter and 400-meter runs that are better than his indoor records. Hayes said he hopes he can bring that same kind of mentality this weekend despite being under a roof.

The outdoor season begins in the middle of March with the Tulsa Duels and continues on until June.

The times in this meet will matter immensely for the young Cyclones team.

With all the intensity though, Roomes is not worried.

“The stress level really isn’t there,” Roomes said. “You’re surrounded by your home crowd.”