From Abby Caldwell running a school record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase as a freshman to Erin Hooker clocking a personal record in the 5,000 with “half a shoe,” the Iowa State women’s track and field team has continuously produced headlines at the Stanford Invitational in recent years.

The Cyclones appear poised for another breakthrough at this year’s meet, which will begin with field events at 11 a.m. Friday at the Cobb Track and Angell Field in Palo Alto, California.

On the distance side, some of the team’s best athletes will make their outdoor debut, including Kelly Naumann in the steeplechase, Hooker in the 5,000, Anne Frisbie in the 10,000 and Evelyne Guay in the 800 and 1,500.

It’s been two years since Hooker last ran a personal best in the 5,000 outdoors.

“It was really pretty unnerving,” Hooker’s coach, Andrea Grove-McDonough, said at the time about the race. “She lost her shoe about halfway. It stayed on, but it was like a slipper. She showed a lot of maturity with that. You could see that shoe kind of flopping, and if you lose your shoe in the [5,000], you’re done.”

As long as Hooker avoids another “slipper” mishap, she will likely put that two-year personal record in danger this weekend.

For Naumann, all signs point to a breakout season. A year ago, the sophomore was watching online videos of athletes running the steeplechase in preparation for an event that she had no experience competing in before arriving at Iowa State.

She went on to place third in the event at the 2016 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships and qualified for regionals. Heading into this season, she’s not only eying a return to regionals but also has her sights set on qualifying for nationals.

“I’d really like to see those steeplechasers, Grace Gibbons and Kelly Naumann, because they’re really good at it and we’re excited about it,” Grove-McDonough said. “We think those are good events for us to add. We’re looking forward to seeing them get out there because it’s been a year [since they last competed in the steeplechase].”

To top it off, Guay is coming off her strongest track season of her career, carrying momentum from recent personal records in the 1,000 and mile, and a silver medal from the Big 12 indoor championships into the outdoor season.

“I think the biggest contributor to my progress indoors was being able to get a lot more training,” Guay said. “… At first I was a little skeptical with coach McDonough and was like, ‘Ah, maybe this is too much,’ but then I committed and believed in her training. I think with the increased training, but also having the confidence piece in my training and my ability, led to a little bit of a breakthrough indoors.”

Guay won’t only be relied on for her performance on the track. She is also responsible for providing the entertainment before meets as the team DJ.

“Right now, we like the song ‘Stay’ by Alessia Cara, that’s a good one,” Guay said. “We like to play a lot of Chance the Rapper, or Kaígo, that’s a big DJ Ev artist. But otherwise, anything that gets the team going.”

On the field and sprinting side, Allanah McCorkle, Iowa State’s star from its season opener who moved up to No. 5 in Iowa State history in the long jump after leaping 19 feet 11.5 inches at the Tulsa Duels on March 18, will make her return in the event this weekend.

Senior Ariana Kuhn, who recorded a personal-best 196-8 toss in the weight throw in her outdoor debut, will also be back in action at the Stanford Invite.

Grove-McDonough’s expectation for the meet is simple: “It’d be really nice to come away with as many solid regional marks we can get, ones we feel confident will hold up inside the top 48 come the end of the year.”