The real season is about to get started for the Penn State men's indoor track and field team.

The Nittany Lions are ranked number two in the latest USTCA National Power Rankings as a result of their dual meet record of 9-1 this season. They are the highest-ranked of the Big Ten teams in the rankings, beating both Indiana (who they lost to at a meet earlier in the season) and Purdue.

This Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Multi-Sports Complex, the Lions will have to prove that they are worthy of their ranking when they go up against big-time rivals Princeton and Connecticut at the PSU/UConn/Princeton Triangular Meet.

With the Big Ten championships creeping up on them, the Lions know that from now on, they should hold nothing back.

During the week, Lions coach Harry Groves, taking extra precautions, had team meetings to stress the importance of taking one meet at a time and that at the moment the team should not be focusing on the Big Ten championships.

At the same meet last year, the Lions finished first with 158 points. Princeton was second, followed by UConn, although the competition was close throughout. Penn State had good individual performances at the meet, such as then-junior Ryan Olkowski grabbing two first-place finishes in the high jump and long jump. NCAA All-American Guy Rose also had a first-place finish in the 60-meter high hurdles and so did Chavous Nichols in the triple jump. The Lions will be hoping for a repeat of the win on Saturday.

The Lions know that apart from the meet against Indiana and Ohio State, the other meets this season have been in fact warm-ups.

During the week, practices have been short and intense. The assistant coaches have been more involved in practices, watching the athletes' every move and advising them on what they need to improve on. The athletes themselves cut down on the chatter and were more concentrated during practices.

"Yeah, it has been (more concentrated)," McClure said. "Practice this week have been short and intense. They are ready to go, go, go."

The team also welcomed back freshman Jaret Campisi, who last year in high school was the 110-meter high hurdles Pennsylvania state champion. They hope that like the other freshmen he will be able to contribute to the team immediately.

Even with all the pressure starting to build up, the feeling among the team is one of excitement about the meet.

"We are pretty excited," senior Josh Loren said, "There will be good competition and I think we will do well."

The Lions have focused a lot on the field events as they know they will be going up against tough competition, including Princeton's Tora Harris, who had the highest mark this year in the nation for high jump with a leap of 2.25m, automatically qualifying for the NCAA championships.

McClure added that the Lions aren't concentrating on setting personal bests like they did at Penn State Nationals last week, but to compete and win on their home turf.