You'll have to excuse the Penn State men's cross country team if they're running with heads high, chests puffed out and a swagger in their stride.

A third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships in Madison, Wis. served notice to the conference, and perhaps the rest of the nation, that the Nittany Lions are the real deal.

As expected it was the fab five combo of veteran runners finishing up front for the 18th ranked Lions, all placing in the top 25. The team's most consistent runner, Chris McGinness, earned All-Big Ten first team honors with a fifth place finish (24:23).

"Last year we didn't come out how we wanted to," he said. "This year we were fired up. I just tried to retain striking distance so I had a chance towards the end. I'm happy with my finish."

Grad student Jim Carney nailed down All-Big Ten second team honors, finishing 12th (24:43) in the field of 83. Josh Brashears was 18th (24:52), Steve Walsh 23rd (24:59), and team captain Bradd DelMuto (25:00) was 24th to round out the scorers for Penn State. John McGrorey wasn't far behind at 26th (25:04).

Running at home, Wisconsin trotted away with the Big Ten title on the strength of a first-place finish by Jason Vanderhoof (24:01) and a second-place finish by Jared Cordes (24:08). The Badgers had 45 points, besting second place Indiana by 36. Wisconsin has dominated Big Ten cross country competition, winning 35 championships and proving that Wisconsin folk care about more than just cheese.

Penn State was just one point behind No. 24 Indiana, who they beat at the Griak Invitational and Pre Nationals.

"We were upset about losing to Indiana," Walsh said. "We expected them to be tough but they barely had us. If you run that race again there could be a very different result."

In fourth place was No. 16 Michigan State with 103 points.

"We expected Michigan State to be tougher," said Walsh.

McGinness, too, admitted that the team was keyed on Michigan State.

"Going in we wanted to stay with them," he said. "Truth is we may have overlooked Indiana because we were focused on Michigan State."

Minnesota had 133 points, good for fifth place.

The third place showing tied a best for the Nittany Lions at the Big Ten Championships, and was a marked improvement on last year's disappointing seventh place finish.

The Yahara Golf Course provided the runners a flat, open terrain but allowed for some gusty winds, creating a decent day for running.

After a light workout yesterday the team will start a heavy training cycle in preparation for the Mid-Atlantic Regionals on Nov. 11 at the Penn State Blue/White Course. The course has been extended to 10k for that meet, a move that figures in Penn State's favor, said Walsh.

To guarantee a spot in the NCAA Championships, the Nittany Lions will need a top two finish in the field which includes No. 8 Georgetown, No. 21 Villanova and Princeton, which is tied with Indiana for the 24th spot.

Oddly enough, Princeton is ranked ahead of Penn State in the regional poll.

"Right now those polls are based on opinion," Walsh said. "Princeton has some injuries."

Updated polls will be released today.

Despite the strong showing at Pre Nationals and the Big Ten Championships, Coach Harry Groves stresses the importance of commitment towards preparing for regionals. Though the team's performance has probably already earned them an at large bid, the veteran coach prefers to leave nothing to chance.

"We're going to go after Georgetown," he said. "I don't want to count on that at large stuff."

Georgetown was a close second to Providence at the Big East Championships this weekend while Villanova was third in that event.

Regarding the next few races, McGinness was throwing around all the clichés.

"You can't rest on your laurels," he said. "I think the saying 'You're only as good as your next race' puts it best."

McGinness cited the team's noticeable improvement from race to race as this group's strongest asset. Steady, calculated development has been a constant theme for the bunch.

Groves was also quick to give praise.

"This race was encouraging," he said. "The guys ran a great race and of course the Big Ten is a hammer. But that's how athletics should be."