The Iowa track and field team will head to the indoor Big Ten championships in Geneva, Ohio, on Friday and Saturday. The weekend serves as the climax to the indoor season, something that the Hawkeyes have been eying since training began in the fall.

A top finish in the Big Tens will require valiant efforts from top to bottom on both the men’s and women’s squads. The Big Ten, after all, is a highly competitive conference in track and field.

In the U.S. Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association Week 5 rankings, the Iowa women fell to 47th. That puts them behind eight Big Ten foes: Nebraska (41), Indiana (40), Ohio State (39), Penn State (32), Michigan (23), Wisconsin (22), Purdue (16), and Minnesota (10).

The women benefited from performances from Brianna Guillory in the 400 and 200, Jahisha Thomas in the triple jump and long jump, Laulauga Tausaga in shot put and weight throw, and the 4×400 team (Brittany Brown, Guillory, Sommer Sharpe, and Sheridan Champe). The athletes’ marks in their events propelled the team to their current ranking.

The men’s team is ranked 38th in the poll, which puts them behind six other Big Ten teams. Wisconsin (34), Illinois (26), Michigan (22), Ohio State (19), Indiana (15), and Penn State (14) are all ahead of the Hawkeyes based on the marks recorded in the 2018 indoor season.

The men’s team’s ranking rests on Mar’Yea Harris in the 400, Chris Douglas in the 60-meter hurdles, William Dougherty in the heptathlon, the 4×400 relay team (Collin Hofacker, Dejuan Frye, Bradford Garron, and Harris), and the distance medley relay team (Nathan Mylenek, Hofacker, Carter Lilly, and Michael Melchert).

These performances and rankings put Iowa’s standing in the conference into perspective before the Big Ten meet, but they don’t tell the whole story.

After all, the marks that athletes across the conference have achieved during the season are not set in stone. A mishap for a top athlete for Iowa or for a team ranked above or below it could drastically change the outcome in Geneva. Likewise, an outstanding performance could move the needle for a team to place higher at the championships.

The goal throughout the season has been to compete for Big Ten titles. That hasn’t changed since the first meet of the year.

“People are really seeing that track and field at Iowa is on the way up,” Director of Track and Field Joey Woody said after the first indoor meet. “I’m excited about where we’re headed, and this is just the start.”

Past Big Tens have been a disappointment for the group, which is something the team is trying to avoid.

“As a team, we want to win Big Tens,” Harris said. “We come so close every time and then come in seventh, fifth, or something, and it’s just frustrating.”

The indoor season has symbolized the rise of Iowa’s program. The team has received national recognition and hosted such meets as the Wieczorek Invitational, which included some of the best athletes and schools in the country.

“It just feels good to have been a part of it,” Guillory said. “When you get up there, you don’t just have your name on your shirt, you have the Hawkeye on it.”