Penn State versus Pitt. The rivalry used to conjure up images of athletes performing at their peak, fans yelling and arguing and mature adults debating whether Lions were better than Panthers.

But since Penn State entered the Big Ten, any clash between the two schools has lost some of its luster.

But don't tell Women's Swimming Coach Bob Krimmel, who views meets against Panthers as "special" and looks forward to competing against them each year. At 2 p.m. on Sunday, the two teams will once again clash, this time in Pittsburgh.

"My feelings do not only stem from my days as a swimmer here," Krimmel said. "We used to have a blood drive against Pitt, which shows the rivalry. I'm an old-timer, so I remember what Pitt-Penn State means. But as the generation gap continues to grow, it becomes more difficult to convey to the swimmers what it means."

But before traveling to Pitt (2-6), No. 23 Penn State (6-1, 4-1 Big Ten) must take care of some other business -- namely welcoming two conference foes to Happy Valley. At 3 p.m. on Saturday, the Lady Lions will face No. 10 Northwestern (3-3, 1-1) and Indiana (3-3, 2-2). The meet marks the first time the Wildcats and Hoosiers will visit McCoy Natatorium.

The Lady Lions will face tough competition from both teams. Northwestern is consistently one of the top teams in the conference, and Indiana has some accomplished individual swimmers and divers.

Penn State's divers, who had a good meet last weekend against Virginia, will face a strong challenge from Hoosier diver Jenny Dixon, who won both the one- and three-meter diving events against Ohio State last weekend. She won the three-meter event by a huge 35-point margin.

On paper, the Lady Lions should expect to have an easier time against the Panthers.

Pitt Coach Marian Cassidy Keen looks at the meet much the same way Krimmel does. But unlike the Lady Lions' coach -- who has a balanced team of experienced swimmers and divers -- Keen's squad is young. Inexperienced or not, the rivalry between the schools goes on.

"I think here at Pitt, for the women's swimming and diving team anyway, it is still a natural rivalry," Keen said. "We've kept it up by swimming them every year. Three-quarters of (our) team are freshmen. I don't think we have enough right now to pick off a Penn State."

While the rivalry is still alive in Krimmel's mind, some of the Penn State swimmers look at the meet differently. Lady Lion sisters Karen and Erica Van Tassel grew up in Pittsburgh and will face some familiar opponents on Sunday.

"I have a couple of friends on the (Pitt) team," sophomore Karen Van Tassel said. "I think it will be an exciting meet for both teams. I don't see it as a rivalry, since I have friends swimming for Pitt. It still should be a competitive meet, though."