Even before the 4-x-400 meter relay began, you could hear Penn State's crowd screaming "Ernie! Ernie!" for Penn State men's track and field sprinter Ernie Terrell.

On the last lap of the race, the crowd at the Sykes/Sabock Challenge Cup were on their feet still screaming "Ernie! Ernie!" as he came from behind to win the last leg of the race in a blazing time of 46.70 seconds.

"I was just ready," Terrell said. "I figured on the last lap I would pass him."

The Nittany Lions finished third overall with 93 points, while first place went to Michigan with 118 followed by Central Michigan 116.5 points.

That did not dampen the Lions' spirit, as they had to come back from ending up in seventh place position on the first day to finish third at the end of the meet.

"Michigan was a complete team and our balance was out," Penn State men's track and field coach Harry Groves said after the meet. "It was their meet, but we are a better team."

But it was Terrell's day as he won the 200 meters in a NCAA provisional time of 21.21 seconds and won the 400 in 47.35. His performance not only left the crowd dazzled but also his teammates.

"I love having Ernie on the team," junior Jaret Campisi said. "He is irreplaceable."

The coaches also praised Ernie for his work attitude as he has been called on to compete at many events on short notice this season.

"Ernie has a football mentality, where he gets knocked down but he gets back straight back up," Groves said.

There were also many other top performers for the Nittany Lions such as sophomore Matt Lincoln, who came third in the 800 meters in a time of 1:48.83, which was a NCAA provisional qualifying mark.

Groves praised Lincoln's performance and added that the 800 meters was a "world class race." He was happy with the team's overall performance but felt that there were still some issues to deal with as the Big Ten Men's Indoor championships approaches.

"Some guys are losing track of what a track team is all about," Groves said. "There is an old army saying, 'You better shape up or ship out.' "

With a two-week layoff before the Big Ten Indoor championships, the athletes have a choice of whether they want to be part of the team or jump ship.