In its steady rise to the top, the women's swimming and diving team has only a few more steps to take.

One of those can happen this weekend.

After four years of gradual progress, the Nittany Lions (8-0, 4-0 in the Big Ten) will attempt to improve upon last year's best-ever fourth-place finish at the Big Ten swimming and diving championships. The competition kicks off today at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center at Indiana University and continues through Saturday.

"The hay is in the barn," head coach Bill Dorenkott said. "It isn't the time to get nervous. It's a time to look forward to the opportunity and step up."

The Nittany Lions hope that, after almost a full year of intense training and years of laying the groundwork, they can finally challenge some of the Big Ten's seasoned competitors. Minnesota (6-1, 3-1) has come out on top the past two years and enters the meet as the favorite. Michigan (4-5, 4-2) has finished in the top two for the past seven years and should also contend for the title.

"I'm not into predictions, but you have got to go with the teams that have been there before," Dorenkott said. "They have championship traditions."

However, Wisconsin, which finished fifth last year, is moving up the ranks. The Badgers went 9-0 this season, and their six Big Ten victories included wins over favorites Michigan and Minnesota.

Although these wins are impressive, dual meet results can often be deceiving when assessing a team's ability to perform in the totally different atmosphere of a championship event.

That's why Dorenkott hasn't let his team rely on its undefeated record as an indicator of potential success, and that's why he believes it could be tough to knock off the perennial powers.

"We want to go places we've never been before, and that's tough to do when you don't have a map," he said.

Nevertheless, the Nittany Lions feel they are at a point in their season where they can give it their best shot.

"We feel confident enough in ourselves and our training and our coaches," junior tri-captain Alecia Kornacki said. "They have gotten us ready for this meet. Everything we've done in the past is behind us, and all we can do now is look forward."

Senior tri-captain Brooke Gilliland said that the team's tendency to plan ahead should not only show in the team's performance, but also in its enthusiasm and emotion.

"We've been working on team all year long, and we've really come a long way," she said. "I think we've done a good job becoming a supportive team, and that's going to carry through in Big Tens."

So, by combining their physical and mental preparation, the Nittany Lions will try and cap off their most successful season ever with a Big Ten championship. If it doesn't happen, however, the team will be content with its other accomplishments.

"I think our goal is to move up from last year, to have a great time, to have personal bests, and to just have a great meet and support each other," senior tri-captain Katie Anderson said. "I think that's our goal more than the things we can't control, like places and times."