The 2002 Big Ten Men's Tennis Individual Championships will be a last and a first for Penn State.

The last tournament of the season.

The first look at its Big Ten rivals. This weekend the Nittany Lions travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to close out 2002. This is the last scheduled competition for Penn State until February. The tournament will be held at the University of Minnesota campus. This will be the first time the Lions have had the chance to play in the Baseline Tennis Center -- which was recently built and opened this season. The Lions have had most of their competition come from the eastern part of the country so far.

This will be a chance for Penn State to see what it, and the rest of the Big Ten schools, have heading into the spring schedule. The team is not slated for another Big Ten match again until it visits Ohio State on Feb. 23. This weekend's tournament begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. It will continue on Sunday afternoon and wrap-up with the semifinals and finals beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday.

-Zak Young