The University Iowa track and field teams are traveling to Bloomington, Indiana, this weekend for the second Big Ten Invitational of the 2021 outdoor season.

Heading into the meet, the Hawkeye women rank 20th in nation and second in the Midwest Region in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association’s Rating Index.

The Hawkeye men are rated 18th nationally and third regionally, per the USTFCCCA Rating Index. Iowa is home to the only Big Ten men’s track and field team that is ranked inside the USTFCCCA Rating Index’s top 25.

Among the athletes competing Friday are freshmen Kelli Tosic and Kal Lewis.

Tosic, a native of Grayslake, Illinois, hasn’t waited to make her mark on the Iowa’s track and field program.

During the indoor track season, Tosic posted the best times of any current Hawkeye in both the 3,000-meter and the 5,000-meter, running 9:47.84 and 17:09.13 times, respectively.

When Tosic arrived in Iowa City, she wasn’t sure what to expect on the track and in the locker room but quickly figured out that she fit right in.

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“My experience on the team so far as a freshman has been fantastic,” Tosic said. “I feel like anytime anyone is in a new area, there’s always some initial shyness and just being unsure about the new area. Immediately, from the first day that I went to cross country practice, every single person from all event groups have been so nice and so welcoming. They are all extremely encouraging, and it’s been really fun. It’s a great environment with great people.”

Lewis, like Tosic, also found success rapidly in the Black and Gold, placing eighth in the mile at the Big Ten Indoor Championships with a 4:04.21 time in the event’s prelims. The Shelter Island, New York, native’s prelim time ranks third all-time at Iowa.

Lewis also ran lead leg on the Hawkeyes’ distance medley relay team that finished seventh at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

Like Tosic, Lewis also felt a sense of uncertainty creep over him when he first arrived on the UI’s campus, but he too realized that he wound up where he was supposed to be.

“Honestly, I think it’s fun,” Lewis said. “For the distance team I’m a part of, there are six other freshmen, so I have had my closest friends by my side the whole time. When we had the indoor championship back in February, I got to meet all of the different mid-distance guys and the sprinters because we were all in one big area. It was really cool because I just got to meet all these new people.”

Big Ten Invitational No. 2 will be held at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex. Competition begins on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. with the women’s 4×100-meter relay and hammer throw. Action wraps up Friday at 10:20 p.m. with the men’s and women’s 3,000-meter.

Official event results can be found via the Track and Field Results reporting system at tfrrs.org.