With the biggest track meet in the state of Iowa on the horizon — the Drake Relays, which begin next weekend — the ISU women’s track and field team is peaking at the right time.

The Cyclones, who have tallied 14 wins throughout six outdoor meets, will send about three-quarters of their roster to three meets during the weekend in an effort to continue the momentum. 

Seven runners will head to the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, Va.; two field athletes will compete in the LSU Alumni Gold meet in Baton Rouge, La.; and a mix of 15 track and field athletes will travel to Iowa City to compete in the Musco Twilight.

“We have a really young group,” ISU assistant track coach Andrea Grove-McDonough pointed out earlier in the season. “We’re kind of having to hope for some good things for some young gals this year.”

The young athletes have undoubtedly made contributions for the team this season — five of the team’s 13 individual event titles belong to freshmen.

But the veterans will now be relied on more heavily to lead, as the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championship is only three weeks away.

If the early-season performances of the team’s third-, fourth- and fifth-year athletes are any indication of what’s to come, Iowa State shouldn’t have any problem ending the season on a high note.

Senior Alyssa Gonzalez has three event titles, 2014 NCAA Outdoor shot put champion Christina Hillman will compete in her first outdoor shot put competition this season at the LSU Alumni Gold and 2013 cross-country All-American Bethanie Brown appeared healthy last week in her first outdoor track and field event in nearly two years.

Brown finished second in the 1,500-meter run at the Jim Duncan Invitational on Saturday. Her teammate, Kate DeSimone, who didn’t compete during the indoor season, placed first.

“[We ran Brown] just to get her feet wet, back in college racing for the first time [this year],” said ISU assistant volunteer coach Matt Valeriani. “[The Jim Duncan Invitational] was a good venue for her to go out and see where she was at and get a good baseline for her performance.

“[Brown and DeSimone’s times] were great opening marks for where they are at this point in the season.” 

Brown will compete in the 3,000-meter run Saturday at the Musco Twilight on Saturday. 

Iowa State’s top two cross-country runners from the fall 2015 season, Perez Rotich and Erin Hooker, will also return to competition for the Cyclones this weekend.

Hooker, who ran a nearly 90-second personal best time in the 10,000-meter run in the only other meet she has competed in this season, will run with Rotich in the 5,000-meter run at the Stanford Invitational on April 1. 

Despite being only a sophomore, Jhoanmy Luque has been one of Iowa State’s most consistent women’s track and field athletes during the past two years and will represent the team in the triple jump and long jump at the LSU Alumni Gold. 

While Iowa State lost its most impactful freshman in Kate Hall because of a transfer to Georgia, the team still has reason for optimism as it continues to get healthier and the freshmen continue to show improvement. 

The Virginia Challenge will kick off Friday, while the LSU Alumni Gold and Musco Twilight meets will be saturday-only events.