Bell lap arrives for trackwomen with NCAA Championship hopes

It is time to put up or shut up.

At 11:00 a.m. tomorrow in Boston, several athletes from the Penn State women's indoor track team will get their last chance to qualify for nationals.

The ECAC Championships, which will conclude on Sunday, is the last meet before the NCAA Championships in Indianapolis next week.

Penn State coach Teri Jordan has decided to only send those she thinks have the best chance to qualify.

Lady Lion seniors Kim Hicks and Shakeema Walker are the only two provisional qualifiers, Hicks in the shot-put and Walker in the triple jump. Provisional qualifying, however, does not guarantee them a spot in the nationals.

There is also an automatic qualifier, which guarantees an athlete a spot. Jordan said it is what everyone is aiming for this weekend.

Senior Erica Bosler will also be competing this weekend. Bosler, the only member going who has competed in nationals, ran her best race of the season winning the 600-meters at the Big Ten Championships last weekend, but the 600 is not an NCAA event.

So Bosler has to go out this weekend and try to qualify in the 800-meters. If she runs the same way she did last week, Bosler should have no problem.

"There is no reason why I should not be able to get the time that I need," Bosler said. "I just have to stay focused."

Another senior going with the team is Carleen Martin. For Martin it will be the last chance she has to qualify for nationals and she is excited.

"This weekend I just want to take care of business," Martin said. "I want to go to nationals."

There is a lot of pressure on these athletes to qualify, which is why Jordan has decided to put most of them in their best events only. So it's a relief for people like Martin. Last week, Martin competed in the high jump and the pentathlon. This week, she only has to concentrate on the high jump.

"This will be a good thing for us," Martin said. "Now all we have to do is prepare for just one event."

The competing Lions have to get the Big Ten Championships out of their heads -- this is a new week. Last week, they were competing to score points for the team. This week, they are trying to qualify for nationals.

There will a lot of teams in Boston this weekend, many with the same purpose as the Lions. So it is up to these selected athletes to turn in their best performances of the year.

"They know what they have to do this weekend," Jordan said. "It is now up to them to go out and do it."