With only two sprinters on the roster, the ISU women’s track and field team was in need of adding depth to a depleted position.

The solution was a walk-on transfer from Central Connecticut State.

Since exchanging her blue and white for cardinal and gold, junior Alyssa Gonzalez has provided Iowa State with a sense of versatility it was missing before her arrival.

“She’s been a good addition, a good training partner for the other girls. She’s been a big surprise and good help,” said ISU sprint and hurdle coach Glenn Smith.

The transition to new a team required adjustments for Gonzalez. From seventh grade until her sophomore year of college at Central Connecticut State, Gonzalez was a 200-meter runner and mostly trained in short sprints and 100-hurdles. This season, the focus has shifted to endurance work and developing the ability to last for longer races.

“The 600-yard was really tough. I’ve never raced anything that long before and it was really tough to get used to,” Gonzalez said. “It’s not like a 400-meter race where you can pace it out going a certain amount of speed. “You have to just go through the 400 and hold on for that last 150 meters.”

Gonzalez said the decision to transfer to Iowa State was an easy one after feeling unhappy with her previous school.

“I wasn’t a scholarship athlete, I wasn’t recruited to come here, so trying out for them and making the team was a big thing for me,” Gonzalez said. “Being able to be a part of the program here was a big reason why I wanted come.”

Competing for a new team was not the only transition Gonzalez was faced with. A move from more than 1,000 miles away in the Northeast to the Midwest also brought changes.

“I was originally born in Florida, so moving from Florida to Connecticut to Iowa has been interesting,” Gonzalez said. “Ames is a little bit different than most of the Midwest. It has a small town feel, but there’s a lot to do here. I expected corn to be everywhere and cows to be roaming the streets. Everyone’s very, very nice out here.”

In her ISU debut at the Holiday Inn Invite on Jan. 17, Gonzalez placed third in the 400-meter dash, finishing two spots behind fellow teammate Kendra White.

In addition to multiple appearances in the 400-meter dash throughout the indoor season, Gonzalez has also competed in the 600-yard run, 4×400-meter relay and distance medley relay for the Cyclones.

Gonzalez qualified for the finals of the 600-yard run at the Big 12 Indoor Championship and added to the team’s point total with an eighth place finish. She also assisted in the four-point total the team earned with a fifth place finish in the distance medley relay.

The junior has spent the season specifying on the 400-hurdles, 400-meter and 600-yard.

Because she competes in both hurdle and sprint races, Gonzalez is required to devote extra work on technique. She said she has designed practices to work on both sprints and hurdles.

“It’s more of trying to manage my time, trying to figure out how I can get all the technique work done and still get out the speed work and then the endurance at the same time,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez has settled into her role at Iowa State and with a long list of outdoor events remaining on the schedule, she expects to continue to improve and contribute to the team’s performance.