Penn State men's indoor track and field co-captain Dorian Lowe couldn't have described it better when he said last week: "It's just time. It's Big Ten time."

Yes, the Big Ten Championships have arrived and the Lions know it is time to get down to business. And they believe they couldn't be more prepared. After all, this was one of their "ultimate goals" they set for this season.

The championship begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday in Minnesota.

Last January, with a 9-1 record, the Lions were ranked as high as No. 2 in the National Power Rankings above Big Ten rivals such as Indiana and Wisconsin.

After the Nittany Lions' performance at the USTCA Collegiate Challenge Cup last week, they are upbeat about their chances of winning the championship.

At his Big Ten media day, Lions coach Harry Groves said that the Lions have been progressing very well this season and a sign of this was that right now, the their scores have been increasing.

The Lions are confident even though they will be going up against teams such as the Hoosiers, who are responsible for the Lions' two losses this season.

When asked about the Lions' nemesis, the Hoosiers, Groves said, "I think they will be tough and I think they will score well."

Groves also feels that at this time in the season the Lions are at the point where they can't do anything more than to go out and perform.

The general feeling among the team is that even though they have had a lot of individual success this season, they have to perform as a team in order for them to be competitive at the championship.

"Anytime somebody gets a good performance," Lowe said, "it helps to build the team. But we are a team and we work well that way."

This is made more important by the fact that at the championship, the first eight places can score points.

Over the course of the season, Groves has continuously said that the Big Ten is one of the most competitive conferences in the nation.

He even went as far as to say that if you were to finish in the top 10 in the Big Ten conference, you would be ranked in the top 20 in the nation.

The Lions have not changed anything in practices this week, only concentrating on the meet ahead. The Lions are also brimming with confidence, with Lowe saying he feels good about the Lion's chances of winning.

The incoming freshmen such as Matt Lincoln and Jaret Campisi have been an integral part of the Lions success.

"They (freshmen) have set the standard for this team," Groves said. "Normally it would have been the seniors but they have changed it around."

But in an event this big, where even the most experienced athletes could have goose bumps that would turn them into Jello. There is a concern that the freshmen might be overwhelmed by the experience.

"It's a learning experience," Lowe said, "and the meets we had before have prepared us for this."

Penn State men's indoor track and field co-captain Dorian Lowe couldn't have described it better when he said last week: "It's just time. It's Big Ten time."

Yes, the Big Ten Championships have arrived and the Lions know it is time to get down to business. And they believe they couldn't be more prepared. After all, this was one of their "ultimate goals" they set for this season. The championship begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday in Minnesota. Last January, with a 9-1 record, the Lions were ranked as high as No. 2 in the National Power Rankings above Big Ten rivals such as Indiana and Wisconsin.

After the Nittany Lions' performance at the USTCA Collegiate Challenge Cup last week, they are upbeat about their chances of winning the championship.

At his Big Ten media day, Lions coach Harry Groves said that the Lions have been progressing very well this season and a sign of this was that right now, the their scores have been increasing. The Lions are confident even though they will be going up against teams such as the Hoosiers, who are responsible for the Lions' two losses this season.

When asked about the Lions' nemesis, the Hoosiers, Groves said, "I think they will be tough and I think they will score well." Groves also feels that at this time in the season the Lions are at the point where they can't do anything more than to go out and perform. The general feeling among the team is that even though they have had a lot of individual success this season, they have to perform as a team in order for them to be competitive at the championship.

"Anytime somebody gets a good performance," Lowe said, "it helps to build the team. But we are a team and we work well that way."

This is made more important by the fact that at the championship, the first eight places can score points. Over the course of the season, Groves has continuously said that the Big Ten is one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. He even went as far as to say that if you were to finish in the top 10 in the Big Ten conference, you would be ranked in the top 20 in the nation.

The Lions have not changed anything in practices this week, only concentrating on the meet ahead.

The Lions are also brimming with confidence, with Lowe saying he feels good about the Lion's chances of winning.

The incoming freshmen such as Matt Lincoln and Jaret Campisi have been an integral part of the Lions success.

"They (freshmen) have set the standard for this team," Groves said. But in an event this big, where even the most experienced athletes could have goose bumps that would turn them into Jello. There is a concern that the freshmen might be overwhelmed by the experience.

"It's a learning experience," Lowe said, "and the meets we had before have prepared us for this."