It isn't the Big Ten women's swimming championships, and it isn't the NCAA meet.

But it will have a similar format and some of the same competition. The Lady Lions (5-0) will host Big Ten opponents Indiana (7-0) and Michigan State (3-4) at McCoy Natatorium this weekend.

The competition, which is the second in a three-year rotation involving the three teams, is spread out over two days in order to imitate the format of the approaching championship meets. The contest will start at 6 p.m. today and continue tomorrow .

And, there is a special mixture of physical and mental preparation for these events.

"A lot of things go into getting ready for a competition over the weekend, like warm-ups, warm-downs, control of emotions, and just leaving the last race behind you when it's time to race again," he said.

Aside from preparing the swimmers by distributing the events over two days, the meet will also offer conference competition as the Big Ten championships approach.

"It's good for the team," Indiana head coach Dorsey Tierney said. "You get an idea of where they're at as far as the rest of the conference is concerned and what improvements need to be made in three weeks."

In addition, Tierney believes this meet will provide some of the best competition her team has seen all season.

"I think it will be a great opportunity for us to swim probably the best team we've seen this year," Tierney said. "Penn State probably has the most depth to of any team in the conference."

Tierney is especially impressed with Penn State's strength in the breaststroke and backstroke events, and said her team will look for its sprinters and freestylers to step up. She also hopes last weekend's victory over Purdue will provide some motivation for the Hoosiers.

"Any time you go into someone else's pool and come away with a victory, I think it's a big momentum booster," Tierney said. "I think the excitement will carry over to this weekend."

Michigan State scored a win last weekend over Oakland. But rather than focusing on the records these teams have, Penn State is taking care of the aspects of the competition it can control.

"We don't talk too much about other teams or the competition," Dorenkott said.