The Penn State women's indoor track team will look to jump off the starting block this Saturday on its home track. After a very successful 2003 campaign that resulted in a third-place finish at last year's Big Ten Championships, the squad is poised to have another standout season.

At last year's NCAA championships, the Nittany Lions sent three athletes to track's big dance. Team captains Chi Chi Aduba and Connie Moore, who are both seniors, return from last year's NCAA Championships ready to lead the team.

"Chi Chi and Connie are definitely the backbone of the core of the team," Penn State women's indoor track coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "We're really ready to win with those two at the front of the pack."

The team has shown incredible potential since Alford-Sullivan's arrival at Penn State in 1999, producing ten NCAA All-Americans, more than 14 new school records, six Big Ten champions and 11 Big Ten runner-up finishers.

The excellent showing of the past couple of years coincides directly with Alford-Sullivan's overall team coaching philosophy.

"I really try to preach team unity to the team every year," she said. "We really operate on the philosophy of a balanced program that can strongly compete in every event."

Alford-Sullivan expects this to be the year the efforts of her and her team will be rewarded with a Big Ten championship.

"We've been on a mission to win the Big Ten and I think we're there," she said.

The team relies heavily on the leadership of the two captains, but the production of the underclassmen will be the real litmus test for the 2004 season.

Freshman Kamilah Salaam is one of those underclassmen ready to contribute to the team in 2004.

A versatile sprinter who also competes in jumps and hurdles, Salaam is one freshman Alford-Sullivan believes will make a nice impact right away.

Another freshman, sprinter Briene Simmons, should make her mark at Penn State starting with the winter's indoor season.

Distance runner Tracey Brauksieck will need to improve after a disappointing cross-country season plagued by heath problems. Brauksieck was a standout freshman during the 2003 indoor campaign and needs to step up in the 2004 season.

Alford-Sullivan feels confident Brauksieck will regain her freshman form, especially because she was instrumental in last year's distance medley relay squad that captured gold at the Big Ten Championships.

With all the youth on the 2004 squad, it's easy to be skeptical about the coming season, but the team remains confident, focused and should fare well in Big Ten competition later this season.

Perennial Big Ten power Michigan remains Penn State's greatest hurdle, as it returns a number of star athletes from last year's Big Ten Championship squad.

Last year's Big Ten runner-up Indiana suffered significant losses in the off-season and will have trouble repeating its 2003 success.

Wisconsin and Illinois remain strong in distance and sprinting, respectively.

Ohio State has recruited many talented athletes in the past fews seasons, but hasn't yet had a big performance in a meet.

This year's Penn State squad is shaping up to be a championship contender, and the team's first meet, this Saturday's U.S. Coaches Association Series, will showcase this season's talent.

The meet will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Multi-Sport Indoor Facility.