The month of March has represented a time of transition for the athletes on the men's track team: the change from indoor to outdoor track.

And as the seasons change from winter to spring, those athletes will have to say goodbye to the cozy indoor facilities and hello to the upcoming outdoor battles with the elements.

Saturday, the Penn State athletes put an end to their three-week respite from action and travel to the University of North Carolina to kick off the outdoor track and field season in a scoring meet with Yale, Virginia Tech and UNC.

This meet, however, not only kicks off an outdoor track season that lasts until June, it also kicks off the 23rd straight outdoor season for Coach Harry Groves.

"And we're definitely interested in scoring," Groves said. "Right now, with the latest snow, we're in tremendous shape for a snowball fight. So if there is snow down there, we'll win."

Groves' team had been practicing outside for the last two weeks only to be disrupted by the surprise snow. And the veteran coach said it's the weather conditions that make the outdoor season a different brand of track from indoor.

"The times will be slower because of the weather aspect," Groves said. "Everybody has to use more energy, open up stride and work on footing in the jumps, but it's the competitive aspect and who they (athletes) beat."

Heading into the cold temperatures and winds and fresh off a third-place finish in the indoor IC4A Championship at Princeton will be the athletes. Goals for the outdoor season include high finishes in not only in the scoring meets, but also in the relays (the Dogwood and the Penn Relays) and the Invitationals.

"The Penn Relays is like the Super Bowl of outdoor track," Groves said. "And there is always the incentive to qualify for the IC4As and the NCAAs based on the times, lengths and heights."

-- Fifth-year senior Doug Walter will be competing for Penn State in this upcoming season as he tries to get back to the NCAAs in the mile. And to do that, the graduate student will have to improve on his indoor performance.

"I didn't do as well as I would have liked to because I didn't make it back to the NCAAs," said Walter, who earned All-America status in the indoor mile last year.

"And if I could have one race back, it would be the Notre Dame meet," Walter said. "There, Aidan (O'Reilly) and I were the only people trying to qualify for the NCAAs. It got really congested."

-- Two-time All-American Phil Caraher will be looking to nail throws in the shot put that will catapult him towards a first ever NCAA championship.

Caraher turned in a peak performance at The Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis where he finished second in the NCAA Indoor meet. In Indy, clutch was the only way to describe Caraher.

"I was hitting around 61 feet during my first three throws," Caraher said. Then came the winner (another hurl of 62'6"). But how did he do it?

"I had to relax and concentrate on letting my body work the technique. Then it came," Caraher said.

Caraher, who proved that his weightlifting paid off, now wants to throw around 65 feet by the time the outdoor NCAAs roll around in June.

-- Many key Lion athletes will be looking to build on their indoor success.

Triple jumper Ricardo Hall participated in the NCAAs, but hurt himself in warmups and didn't place. He'll look to get back to the meet this season.

Distance runner/miler O'Reilly, who finished third in the prestigious Millrose Games and barely missed the NCAAs, will also try to qualify for nationals. Jon Strange (400 meters), talented freshman jumper Antonio Davis, pole vaulter Mason Ternay, pentathlete Brian Kelly and runners Joe Stegbauer and Mike Crescenzi also had successful indoor seasons. Starting Saturday, they will look to continue their strong performances outdoors.

Penn State won every dual meet it entered this past indoor season and one of the teams' goals this season is to crack the Top 25 dual-meet rankings.

"We've finished in the Top 25 outdoor dual-meet rankings and that is a tough thing to do," Groves said. "It depends on who you beat."