vs. U.S. Coaches Association Series Indoor Meet
10 a.m. tomorrow at Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track

Women's

Another cold, snowy weekend in the northeast will prove to be the perfect weather to kick off the 2004 indoor track season.

With temperatures in the mid-20s outside, women's track and field athletes from 15 schools will be competing in the nicely heated Horace Ashenfelter III Indoor Track in the year's first meet at the Multi-Sport Complex.

Penn State hosted the event last year, and the Nittany Lions took first place with 171 points.

Looking to challenge the Nittany Lions will be a strong Cornell team that finished in the runner-up position at last year's meet.

Other teams competing against the Lions tomorrow includes Syracuse, Rutgers, Villanova, Bucknell, Howard, St. Joseph's, La Salle and Maryland.

Penn State women's indoor track coach Beth Alford-Sullivan is looking forward to seeing this year's team in its first action of the season.

The Nittany Lions enter the meet touting one of the most highly regarded recruiting classes in recent years and expectations for the new recruits remain high.

Alford-Sullivan indicated that two members of this year's recruiting class, Shana Cox and Ashlee Brown, would redhsirt this season.

-- By Tim Ford

Penn State men's track and field team will start its build up for this season by hosting the U.S. Coaches Association Series Indoor Track (USTCA) Meet this weekend at the Horace Ashenfelter Indoor Track.

The meet will be scored and feature a total of 15 teams, including Georgetown, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Cornell and Villanova.

The Nittany Lions plan to use the meet as a tune up, despite the presence of stiff competition.

Penn State men's track and field coach Harry Groves said he expects the meet to be difficult but he does not view it as a "big time meet."

"You need to build up," Groves said. "When you begin, you don't want to start off with a big meet."

Last year, the Lions won the meet by beating Cornell and Rutgers, who finished second and third, respectively. The Nittany Lions are hoping to make it two straight after this weekend.

-- By Nkrumah Makinwa