Experience has been the key to success for the young ISU women’s track and field distance squad, which consists of six freshmen.

In their outdoor season opener at the Tulsa Duels, two of those freshmen, Erinn Stenman-Fahey and Megan Schott, recorded two of the team’s four event wins in the 800-meter run and 3,000-meter run, respectively.

The Stanford Invitational and San Francisco State Distance Carnival on April 1 and 2 featured much of the same for the Cyclones. Jasmine Staebler and Stenman-Fahey posted personal bests in the 800-meter run and 1,500-meter run, respectively.

“We’re kind of keeping a really open mind,” said ISU assistant coach Andrea Grove-McDonough. “We have some kids developing nicely. We have a really young group. … We’re kind of having to hope for some good things for some young gals this year.”

The team will get a break from the long-distance meets Friday and Saturday at the Jim Duncan Invitational in Des Moines. Five of the team’s six freshmen distance runners are on the entries list for the meet, including Staebler, Stenman-Fahey, Schott, Grace Gibbons and Kelly Nauman.

The freshmen are not the only members of the ISU distance squad who have contributed to a strong early start for Iowa State. Redshirt sophomore Erin Hooker ran a 90-second personal record in just her second 10,000-meter run of her collegiate career at the Stanford Invite, and junior Perez Rotich ran her fastest season opener in the 1,500-meter run, finishing in 4:25.29.

While her teammates focus on building off their early improvements, redshirt senior Andrea Toppin is just looking forward to returning to an event she hasn’t competed in in two years — the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Toppin was forced to miss her entire 2014-15 cross-country and track and field seasons after suffering a stress fracture in her leg in the fall of 2014. She returned in the fall of 2015 with a strong cross-country season, but her Achilles flared up in the winter, forcing her to shut down her indoor season.

“I’m just trying to get my mojo back because I haven’t steepled for two years,” Toppin said. “It’s really exciting to partake in this event again. My No. 1 focus is the steeplechase — being consistent, being strong and just trusting in myself. I haven’t really had that many workouts.”

Bethanie Brown on entries list

Bethanie Brown, 2013 all-American cross-country runner and a key contributor to the ISU women’s cross-country team’s second place finish at the 2014 NCAA Cross-Country Championship, is entered in the 1,500 meter run at the Jim Duncan Invitational.

The meet would mark Brown’s first competition in more than a year after she was limited during the 2014-15 track and field seasons and has yet to compete in an event this year.

The Jim Duncan Invitational will take place Friday and Saturday in Des Moines.