Shadow the leaders, form a pack and pull away at the end of the race.

Nothing involving the ISU women’s cross-country team is set in stone, but these three steps have stayed consistent for the team in competition.

The Cyclones incorporated this strategy into last season’s quest that resulted in a second-place finish at the NCAA Cross-Country Championship. The strategy also aided the Cyclones in their fist-place performance at the Hawkeye Early Bird Invitational at the beginning of this season.

But a difficult schedule that has included the Roy Griak Invitational and Greater Louisville Classic in consecutive weeks — and more than 800 miles of travel — has forced ISU women’s cross-country coach Andrea Grove-McDonough into a chess match.

“The only thing that gets a little complicated right now is because our schedule is a little unusual, and I’m trying to make sure the kids that I anticipate racing further down the line aren’t over raced by [November],” Grove-McDonough said.

She opted for a less experienced lineup in each of the first three meets of the season, saving the season debuts of her best runners for the Greater Louisville Classic on Saturday in Louisville, Ky., which will also play host to the 2015 NCAA Cross-Country Championship.

The starters in the first three meets helped Iowa State finish first at the Hawkeye Early Bird Invitational, second at the Oz Memorial and 19^th at the Roy Griak Invitational.

“One thing that coach McDonough preaches to us is that if you’re seventh person is working hard and being the best they can be, then that means that the sixth person has to just be even better. And that means the fifth person has to be even better,” said redshirt junior Maddie Nagle, who competed in each of the first three meets for Iowa State.

Some of the runners who factored into the team’s success from last season, along with newcomer Becky Straw, will now get their first crack at scoring for the Cyclones in a big meet Saturday.

I’d say @becstraw is ready for the Greater Louisville Classic. #beefinup pic.twitter.com/sLkav4HxmC

— Crystal Nelson (@crystallynn713) September 30, 2015

Grove-McDonough said she isn’t worried about these runners making their debuts more than a month into the season because they are all fit. 

“All of it is trying to figure out what’s best for the team come November,” Grove-McDonough said.

The Cyclones are the top-ranked team competing in Louisville, providing them an opportunity to make a statement on a national stage against five teams ranked in the top 25.