Early adversity from any source can push a young team to its limits. For the Penn State women's track and field team, the adversity pushed it together toward success.

Fighting off cold temperatures and tough competition from 12 other squads, the Nittany Lions featured 24 top five finishers at the University of Pennsylvania Invitational at the historic Franklin Field.

Familiar faces helped to highlight the Lions' strong showing. Sophomore sprinter Connie Moore won the 100-meter and 200-meter runs while helping pace the first place 4 x 100-meter and second place 4 x 400-meter relay teams.

In field events, senior Deshaya Williams placed first in both the shot put and the discus and fourth in the hammer. Sophomore Chi Chi Aduba matched Moore's and Williams' duo of firsts by landing in first in both the long and triple jump.

The Lions' other first-place finish came in the 4 x 800-meter relay.

Strong showings by the Lions extended beyond the trio of Moore, Williams and Aduba as the season continues to progress.

"The team as a whole performed really well," Moore said. "We were competitive in every event, which gets our team moving."

"Our times are going down, our throws are getting longer, and our jumps are getting higher," Aduba added. "I'm personally really proud of the team."

Aduba said in particular she was proud of freshman distance runner Jenny Stevens, who finished 13th in the 1,500-meter run.

For Aduba, a field competitor, supporting a younger player in track seems symptomatic of the Lions, who seem to be growing together as a team as the season progresses.

During the final relays, taking place during snow flurries, the Lions sat in the stands to cheer on the relay teams, something that Moore pointed to as motivation for her.

"With the whole team cheering, that just really got me going," she said.

"I thought it was really impressive when we came together at the end," Williams said. "I think that bound us together as a team."

The team's collective enthusiasm will be needed as the season progresses. Because the Penn Invitational is a nonscored meet, team performance was not emphasized as no team scores were awarded.

Upcoming team scored events are when they will need to count on each other to place well as a team, and their growing unity as shown at this lower key meet will be important.

"Our momentum as a team has really gotten rolling," Moore said. "This week will be a challenge for us, but it'll be alright in the end."