Dipping their feet into the Big Ten, the women's track team captured a season-opening victory over Ohio State 59-54 last Saturday. Now the Lady Lions are looking to continue full steam ahead into the new division.

Switching to the Big Ten does not intimidate Coach Teri Jordan. In fact, she welcomes the challenge. Last season her team finished second out of 64 teams in the East Coast Athletic Conference Indoor Championship Meet, an indicator to Jordan that the Lady Lions can be a prominent contender in the Big Ten as well.

With a blend of talented youngsters and seasoned seniors, Jordan has a cast loaded with potential.

"Our strength is that we are a well-balanced team," said Jordan. "We are strong in all areas."

Jump and sprint captain Shelly Mitchell, in addition to providing leadership through example, lends versatility to the squad. The well-rounded senior capitalized on her point-scoring potential against Ohio State, competing in four events. Despite having lower energy from competing in the previous three events, Mitchell picked up the slack as the anchor of the mile relay and posted a first-place finish.

"We had to win the mile," Mitchell explained. "We were a little bit behind, but on the third leg Leslee (Martin) made up some ground. When it came to me I saw we were in winning range and I went right after the leader."

Needless to say, she caught her.

Laurie Morrow and Martin captain the distance category while Mary Beth Powers was selected to lead the middle distance runners. Senior throwing captain Stacey Gibbs' forte is javelin, but her duties are curtailed during the indoor season. The captains were selected by teammates but Jordan said if the decision was up to her nothing would be different.

"Our captains are great athletes," Jordan said. "Other runners look up to them because of their ability and hard work. They don't just care about themselves. They are great relay runners because when they run for other people they run even faster. Put a stick in their hand and they can be two seconds faster."

The quintet of Mitchell, Morrow, Powers and Dawn Eidson comprise the 4x800-meter relay team, a team which Jordan foresees as an eventual national qualifier.

Running the mile relay in addition to Mitchell will be Martin, Jacky Brown and Teresa Gonzalez.

Senior Kim Kessel will toil with the shotput on field events while Alicia Porro and Holly Jones work with the triple jump. Jones registered a first-place finish in Ohio with a jump of 36-8. High jumping is another event belonging to Mitchell who considers soaring over the bar her easiest event. She has jumped over 5-10.

Canadian recruit Jill Mallon will compete in the 400- and 800-meter competitions. The freshman sprinter, along with a large chunk of the squad, was shelved for the first match as a result of sickness.

Freshman sisters Kim and Kris Kelly give the Lady Lions a power-packed one-two punch in the 5,000 meters. Never having run indoors prior to the meet, Kim Kelly made her debut a memorable one, dashing to a 17-minute, 21.26-second victory, smashing the previous meet record by 20 seconds.

Finishing a close second was Kris Kelly. In February, the family duo will travel to Memphis for the United States trials for ages 19 and under.

"I would be very surprised if they don't make the team," Jordan said of the Kellys' chances in Tennessee.

With the first-meet jitters under her belt, Kim Kelly is not so sure that the nervousness will abate. Will she be nervous for the Lady Lion Classic this Saturday?

"I'll be a little bit nervous . . . actually I'll be very nervous," Kelly said. But surely her showing in Ohio was a bit of a confidence booster.

The mental aspect of track is one Jordan places heavy emphasis upon. When dealing with younger competitors, the coach explains that often the talent is present but the task is honing it for results.

"Mentally a runner has to build on good experiences from practice," the coach said, "and learn from experiences that are negative. They should reflect upon it and next time do it right. It is important for them to say, 'Yes, I can do this,' and internalize it."

Jordan wants her runners to believe in themselves, since she certainly places faith in her runners.

"The Big Ten is well known for track," Jordan said. "We are looking at being at the top of the Big Ten."

The Lady Lions' quest for the top will continue at 2:30 Saturday afternoon as they will host the Lady Lion Classic at the Greenberg Indoor Sports Complex. Expected to compete in addition to Penn State are Georgetown, Essex College, Maryland and Pittsburgh.