The next step for the ISU women’s track and field team will be attempting to successfully follow up a performance in which it set 10 personal records.

Instead of competing more than 1,800 miles away, distance runners will convene with the field athletes and sprinters/hurdlers for the first Big 12 Outdoor Championship hosted by Iowa State at the Cyclone Sports Complex on Friday to Sunday.

The last time Iowa State hosted the outdoor conference meet was in 1995 when the Big 12 was the Big Eight. 

“It’s super cool [to host the Big 12 Championship],” said redshirt senior distance runner Katy Moen. “It’s our first meet we’ve ever hosted [outdoors at the Cyclone Sports Complex] and I love it when it’s indoors, it’s great to have. Outdoors is even more exciting, it will take the atmosphere to a whole new level.”

The sprinters and hurdlers will attempt to build off the momentum from the Musco Twilight in Iowa City, where senior Kendra White set personal records in the 200-meter and 400-meter, junior Kaci Storm set personal records in the 110-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles and Alyssa Gonzalez set a personal record in the 400-meter hurdles. 

White will run in the open 400-meter and a leg in the 4×400-meter relay at the Big 12 Championship. 

“This being my last go-round in the Big 12 Conference, I just want to go out with a bang,” White said. “It would be nice to end in the finals with a [personal record].”

The highlights from the Musco Twilight didn’t end with the sprinters as redshirt senior Anna Holtermann set a personal record of 195-feet-11.75-inches in the hammer throw and senior Christina Hillman placed first in the shot put.

On the distance side, Iowa State has experienced three school records broken this season, all coming in the 3,000-meter steeplechase by either freshman Abby Caldwell or redshirt junior Colleen Riley. Caldwell was the last to break the record at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. during the same weekend as the Musco Twilight. 

Redshirt senior Katy Moen was another bright spot for the Cyclones at the Payton Jordan Invitational. She set a personal record in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 33:09.63, which is more than 20 seconds faster than her previous personal record and ranks as the sixth fastest time in the event in ISU history.  

“It was a success,” Moen said. “I knew if I went out there and worked hard and walked away knowing I did what I could, then I’d be happy.”

While the athletes who performed well at the Musco Twilight and Payton Jordan Invitational will attempt to expand on their recent success at the Big 12 Championship, others will rely on this weekend to gain confidence. 

“I need to be confident, said sophomore high jumper Marine Vallet. “It’s one of the things that’s been hard for me, especially because I didn’t jump very well at the last two meets. I need to trust myself, I know how to jump [and] I know how to jump well.” 

The first event for Iowa State at the Big 12 Championship is the women’s hammer throw at 11 a.m. Friday.