Trackwomen prepare for outdoor season

Sometimes it's acceptable to finish third, especially when competing in one of the strongest conferences in the country.

Last year, the Penn State women's outdoor track team placed third at the Big Ten Championships. It was a respectable finish, considering the caliber of its conference opponents.

As the team embarks upon its outdoor season tomorrow at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C., the prospect of another third-place finish in the Big Ten doesn't sound too shabby.

"Third place is fabulous," coach Teri Jordan said. "I'd be happy with a top three finish, but I'm not going to say we can't win it all. I feel we have a very good opportunity to win this year, but you've got to put into perspective how good the Big Ten is."

The Lady Lions replaced six seniors from last year's squad with a crop of freshmen, led by the highly recruited Erin Davis, who carry high expectations of solidifying the distance running.

"I think we're a lot stronger this year," said senior discus and hammer thrower Julie Schaadt. "We have a lot of good freshmen to give us depth."

Track is a year-round sport divided into two seasons -- indoor and outdoor. At this juncture, lack of experience is not as much of a concern as it was during the indoor season which concluded two weeks ago. The team treats the indoor season as a preamble to the outdoor season, which features more events.

"Coach always says that indoor is preparing us for outdoors," senior runner Erica Bosler said.

Penn State figures to challenge for the Big Ten crown along with Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. Jordan said Michigan is a well-balanced squad, similar to the Lions, Wisconsin features strong distance runners and Illinois is tops in the conference in sprints.

"We're a lot like Michigan," Jordan, now in her 14th year at Penn State, said. "No one can challenge Illinois in sprints. You never know what will happen, though. It will be a fight because you can't count anyone out."

Looking down her roster, Jordan said she can't find a major weakness and that Penn State's squad is balanced with depth. But Jordan knows the one intangible that can dictate the season -- injuries.

"We were struggling because of health problems, but we've worked through them," she said. "It's important to keep healthy. Injuries can change a whole season."

Jordan expects the Lions to excel in the 400-meters with sophomore Laila Brock. Junior Jen Pastore and sophomore Carrie Karabinos, who Jordan called potential All-Americans, will carry the Lions in the javelin.

It will be the seniors' last chance to claim the Big Ten title. For them, another third-place finish won't be good enough.

"I want to improve on our third-place finish," Schaadt said. "Having that as a basis is good to build on."