Penn State took its only opportunity to exceed NCAA team roster limits and went into Saturday's meet with a full squad of athletes -- and it paid off.

The Nittany Lions came out on top over Cornell, Penn, Waterloo and Western Ontario in a meet at Cornell University Saturday.

"We were hopeful we could win the meet and accomplish all the things we wanted to do," Coach Harry Groves said.

Penn State mainstays like R.B. Caldwell, who finished first in the 800-meter, helped the team, but it was those non-regulars that made the difference.

The Lions took advantage of the NCAA rule that allows a team, once a year, to take more than the normally-allowed 28 athletes. Utilizing the depth of their squad, the Lions won three events and scored in all but the 1,000-meter run and the pole vault.

"Our bench really stepped up and did a good job for us," field captain Antonio Davis said. "Those guys really won the meet for us."

The contest came down to Penn State and Penn, with the Lions prevailing in the end by 4.5 points, thanks to multiple top-five finishers in 12 of the 17 events.

"We were spread all over the place, and Penn just came up the middle," Groves said. "It was a team type of effort. Our depth prevailed."

One of those events where depth really showed was the long jump, which had four Penn State finishers in the top five. Davis, who won the event, later separated his shoulder competing in the triple jump, but returned to run in the 55-meter dash.

"Right now, it's stiff. I don't think I can run right now," said Davis, who added confidently, "I'll be all right."

The Lions were able to carry on without Davis, who was also the top seed in the 55-meter dash. Penn State's Mark Crawford was sandwiched at fifth place between off-season football stars Justin Williams, who finished in first place, and the sixth-place debut by Ki-Jana Carter in the dash.

"To be competitive in the Big Ten, you've got to have your football players," Bob Hamer said. "All the great teams have them."