The average sprinting event takes a short amount of time to run, but this weekend at the Big Ten Women's Indoor Track Championships the sprints will go a long way to determining this year's top squad.

The sprinting events have the possibility of being the most competitive type of race this year, with no single school having a clear advantage. Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio State and Penn State all have legitimate threats to win the 60-, 200- and 400-meter dashes.

"The Big Ten is just an outstanding sprinting conference," Penn State assistant track and field coach Jeff McAuley said. "We have some national-caliber athletes of our own who we think can score some significant points."

The finals of the 60-meter dash might prove to be the most exciting eight seconds of the weekend. The event will feature some of the fastest women in the country, all seeking the crown. Indiana hopes to return the top two finishers in last year's 60-meter in the forms of defending champion Danielle Carruthers and current Big Ten leader Rachelle Boone. Boone's conference-best time of 7.26 surpasses her mark in last year's finals and is one of the fastest in the nation by a collegiate runner.

Penn State superstar Connie Moore gives the Nittany Lions the biggest reason for optimism in the sprints. Moore has yet to lose in the 60-meter this season and is currently third in the conference with a top time of 7.36. Junior Chi Chi Aduba should also have a shot at qualifying for the finals and semi-finals.

"We have a strong sprinting core in Connie and Chi Chi," Penn State women's track and field coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "We think we can get a heavy point total coming out of them."

Illinois should also have a formidable tandem competing with Nicole Whitman and Chequetta Bearfield. Both have top-five times in the conference and were previously Big Ten 60-meter finalists.

These three teams will benefit most in the team standings because they all have more than one athlete with the potential to qualify for the 60-meter finals. Getting multiple points in one event is a big step toward securing a team championship.

Penn State's best chance to win one of the sprinting events comes in the 200-meter dash. Moore is the defending champion in the 200-meter, winning as a sophomore last year with a time of 23.51. Her best time this year is a tenth of a second off that mark and is second behind Boone in the conference.

Overall, however, the 200-meter is more balanced from top to bottom than the other sprinting events. While the top runners in the 60-meter come from the same few teams, the conference's top seven in the 200-meter all come from different schools. Along with Moore, Boone and Whitman, other athletes, such as Minnesota's Majik Reed and Ohio State's Brandi Hogan should contend for the 200-meter title.

The 400-meter dash is not as even across the board. With many of last year's finalists having graduated, a few teams have come to the forefront this season. Minnesota looks to get multiple athletes scoring as the Gophers have three of the top 10 conference times in Kou Luogon (first), multi-purpose star Shani Marks (third) and Lisa Mickelson (10th). Michigan, which has better performances as the distance gets longer, should also rack up some points.

Penn State is led in the 400-meter by senior captain Laurie Fox, who is currently 13th in the conference. Along with freshmen Cheryl Green and Amanda Copperthite, the Lions intend to keep up with the rest of the field.

"My goal is to get into the finals of the 400 ... and run a smart race," Green said.

The Lions are also hoping to get a scoring performance from their 4-by-400 relay team, which has been steadily improving the past few weeks.

"We think we're going to find a few ways to score in the relays," McAuley said.

The team that gets the most points out of the sprinting events figures to have the best chance at dethroning Michigan as Big Ten champions. The Wolverines' main strength is in distance running, so the sprints this year will be as important as ever.