Break up the Penn State women's track and field team.

Literally.

At the midpoint of a successful spring season, the Nittany Lions split themselves this weekend between the Mt. SacRelays in Walnut, Ca., and the lower-key Nittany Lion Relays.

"We've been looking forward to this weekend for a while," women's track and field head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "It's nice to split as it gives more chances to look for athletic performances and progress."

Alford-Sullivan said she and 18 of the Lions' top athletes are heading west for a gold rush. The Mt. Sac Relays, held at Helmer Lodge Stadium, is a top-flight invitational comprised of top teams and athletes from across the nation.

Among the Lions making the trip are sprinters Connie Moore and Laurie Fox, throwers Deshaya Williams and Brianne Johnson, and long and triple jumper Chi Chi Aduba.

"It's time to get us moving," Moore said.

"Between the competition and the weather, it should be great for us," Alford-Sullivan said.

Alford-Sullivan said she is eager in particular to see how well her team's best stack up against the nation's best.

Meanwhile on the home front, the remaining Lions will host at the Nittany Lion Relays at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at the outdoor track stadium. It is the Lions' only home meet of the outdoor season.

Though decidedly less intense, the meet will still be worth seeing, Alford-Sullivan said.

"It's a great chance to see us in action, as a majority of the team will be there," she said. "It's going to be action-packed."

Other women's teams competing will be the University of Toronto and University of California-Pennsylvania, in addition to the men's action.

Among the Lions staying home is heptathlete Danielle Bobo, who finished 10th at last week's Sea Ray Relays in Tennessee.

"We're really strong," Bobo said. "There's still a few things we can work on though, like how as a team we perform."

Of special focus is the continual progress of the young Lions. The majority of the team is composed of freshmen and sophomores, and the remaining coaches will be closely eyeing all performances.

Both meets are non-scored, meaning there are no team placements and finishes.

Instead, as the rest of the meets have been, both the Mt. Sac and Nittany Lion Relays will emphasize individual performances.

"There's usually a lot of these (non-scored meets) in the spring season," Alford-Sullivan said. "It's a good chance for working on performances for the team competitions later on."