Nearly a month into the indoor track and field season, the Lied Recreation Athletic Center is just now beginning to show signs of life. 

And if Iowa State’s home opener this weekend is anything like last year’s Iowa State Classic, the meet is bound to produce another large batch of NCAA Indoor Championship qualifiers.

The 2016 meet resulted in 20 athletes qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships, multiple Lied Recreation facility records and an NCAA record. 

“You know the track so well, it’s just fun to race on it with all these great athletes in the NCAA,” said Annie Frisbie, who will compete in the 3,000-meter run Friday night. 

Through five road meets this season, the women’s track and field team has already recorded two top marks in the nation in the 800-meter run and the triple jump.

Junior Jhoanmy Luque owns the second best triple jump mark, and sophomore Jasmine Staebler is ranked 13th in the 800-meter run.

Luque, however, will take a break from her premier event and compete in the 60-meter dash and long jump.

But that doesn’t mean she will put the triple jump on the back burner.

“Now I have a really good mark [in the triple jump],” Luque said last week.”[I’m] still working on my technique, I still have a lot to improve, and [I’m trying] to focus in practice and try to have fun at every meet. I think that really helps me a lot. Just go for nationals and maybe be in the top three. That would be a dream come true.”

Staebler, on the other hand, will go up against six of the top-13 ranked runners in the 800-meter run Saturday.

The Iowa State Classic will mark her first return to action since she clocked a 2:04.81 in the 800-meter run PSU National two weeks ago in University Park, Pennsylvania. 

The Cyclones will send a full lineup to the Iowa State Classic, with 24 athletes and two relay teams entered across 14 different events.

Despite this weekend being the home opener and featuring many of the top track and field athletes in the nation, the Iowa State track and field team is avoiding the pressure.  

“I guess I just try to not overthink it too much and I just try to take it one day at a time,” Frisbie said. “I really learned that this fall, when I get too stressed about it, then I don’t run the way I want to. Just taking it one day at a time really helps and kind of takes the stress off too.”