It's the second week of February and some students' thoughts are turning to plans for spring break --warm, coastal waters, beaches and palm trees. But not the members of the women's indoor track team.

Their whole season is spent working and preparing for two main objectives: the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA National Championship, the former, coming up fast. Three weeks to be exact.

Until the end of February, the track team will have to keep working and striving for the qualifying positions. The meets this past weekend were prime examples of the effort needed.

"We had some other good performances throughout the meet," Coach Teri Jordan said of the Hardees Invitational. "But season best performances were definitely something we were looking to do and accomplished in many instances this weekend."

The Lady Lions actually split into three groups in three different states for this weekend's competition. The distance medley relay team went to the Mobil Invitational in Virginia; Teresa Hohnka, Candida McCarthy and Erin St. John tried out for the U.S. Junior team; and the rest of the team competed in the Hardees Invitational in West Virginia.

In the Mobil meet, the distance medley relay team improved its provisional qualification to 11:39.06, one step closer to a guaranteed place in national competition.

Competing in the Hardees Invitational, Kim Kelly improved her time to 9:59.07 in the 3000 meters, participating in a sweep by Kim and Kris Kelly and Kelli Hunt in the event.

"It wasn't a very big meet," Kris Kelly said of the Hardees meet. "We just ran, there wasn't a lot of competition."

Kim Harrity ran 18:01.06 in the 5000 meters, achieved her season-best score, along with Gretchen Klein, who earned the time of 18:05.07 and Jamie Rutkowski with 18:47.59. Andrea Walker also jumped 18 feet, 6.5 inches in the long jump for her best height.

Andrea Walker and Kelly Mychalishyn were among the runners in the 55 meter race who achieved semi-final status.

"Everyone who ran in the 55 (meters) made it to the semi's," Andrea Walker explained modestly of herself as well as her teammates.

After a successful weekend apart for the track team, Jordan expressed her content with the team's reunion.

"The whole team is back together, which is what we're excited about," Jordan said. "Our whole team will be at Michigan together and we're excited to be together for the meet against Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame."