Jhoanmy Luque’s personal-record mark in the triple jump at the Black and Gold Premier last weekend not only catapulted her toward the top in the NCAA for the event but also contributed to Iowa State’s surge in the team rankings.

Her performance earned her Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week, and she’ll be back in action this weekend for the Cyclones, who climbed 49 spots to No. 39 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll, at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational.  

“I [worked] on my technique a lot for the triple jump during the fall semester,” Luque said. “So I think that was reflected in my first meet. … I know we had been working a lot, but at the same, it was really surprising. I never thought that I would [get a personal record] in my first meet for the triple jump.”

The Cyclones will send a team of mostly sprinters and field athletes to the meet, with Luque entered in both the long jump and triple jump. 

Luque said her goal for the long jump is to improve on the mark she recorded at the Larry Wieczorek Invite on Jan. 20 in Iowa City, 20 feet 6.5 inches, and climb higher in the national rankings for the event. 

As for the triple jump, an event in which she owns the second-best mark in the nation, Luque isn’t necessarily going for another personal record at Nebraska. 

“I know it’s really hard to get another PR after a week,” she said. “So for the triple jump, just be consistent with my mark. I’m still working on my technique, and hopefully that will give me another good mark.” 

The Cyclones entered 13 athletes into events this weekend, including Aleenah Marcucci and Emma Whigham in the pentathlon and a group of four in the weight throw — Tessa Krempel, Ariana Kuhn, Christabel Okeke and Megan Wiese. 

Like Luque, Kuhn, a transfer from Western Kentucky, also has gotten off to a strong start this indoor season. 

In her Iowa State debut at the Hawkeye Invite on Jan. 13 in Iowa City, the senior thrower recorded a personal-best and first-place mark in the weight throw.  

“It was remarkable,” Kuhn said about her first competition of the season. “I was just honestly in shock. … Just experiencing it with my teammates who are like my family, that was just an amazing time.”

Now, the focus has shifted to consistency. 

” … That’s how you can get the good marks is if you’re consistent,” Kuhn said. 

Competition for the Cyclones at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska, will begin at 11:30 a.m. Friday.