When ISU track and field athletes and coaches mark their calendars at the beginning of the season, the meets at the end get circled twice. The athletes save a little extra in the tank for these meets — meets where personal records are set and historical performances are reached.

During the indoor season, it was the Big 12 Championship, the last indoor meet for many of the ISU athletes, that produced some of the best performances. In the span of two days, the Cyclones reached double digits in personal records.

But the question is, are the improved times a reflection of individual progress or an increase in competition?

“Put a standard at something, at one particular number, you’ll tend to find that a lot of people rise to the occasion,” said ISU coach Glenn Smith.

While the strength of competition may influence athletes on the team to reach higher levels of success, the work put in leading up to the end of the season meets does not go unnoticed.

“For track, we’re really geared up for conference, NCAA first round and second round, so really every day or every meet is leading up to doing well at those ones,” Smith said. “Every meet is kind of a gauge. OK, there is where we’re at right now, what things do we need to change to get a little faster?”

Like the start of the indoor season, ISU women’s track and field athletes and coaches have their eyes set on the bigger picture.

But success at the end is accomplished through a process of training and competing in meets during the entire season.

The team finished its first outdoor meet of the season, the Baldy Castillo Invitational, on March 20 and 21. The next step is the Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif., and the Tiger Track Classic in Auburn, Ala., which will both take place on Friday and Saturday. ISU athletes will be featured in both events.

“Our coaches do the best to put us in places where we’re going to be competing against the best, and I think that’s something that has really helped out the whole team,” said junior hurdler Kaci Storm. “I can see it in myself individually as well.”

After recording a personal record in the 100-meter hurdles at the Baldy Castillo Invitational, Storm’s goal at the Tiger Track Classic is to set another.

“Every time you get on the track, you want to do better,” Storm said.

When the end of the season does arrive, Iowa State will use both the strength of competition it faces and the progress it’s made during the course of the campaign in attempt to qualify as many athletes as possible to the NCAA championships in Eugene, Ore. on June 10 to 13.

“Putting us with the best just pushes us further and I think helps us see how far we can come as a group,” Storm said.