The Penn State women's track team gets its first taste of Big Ten competition this weekend at the Jesse Owens Track and Field Classic. Hosted by conference rival Ohio State, this will be the first time the majority of the Nittany Lions will be matching up against Big Ten opponents across the board.

More than 1,600 athletes from 85 high schools and nearly 65 colleges are on the ballot at an event held in memory of the four gold medals the Ohio State alum won at the infamous 1936 Olympics held in Nazi Germany. Slated to compete along with Penn State and Ohio State is fellow Big Ten powerhouse Michigan, the team Penn State women's track coach Beth Alford-Sullivan called this year's outdoor favorites.

"On paper, they do have the strongest squad with depth at every position, something we have tried to mirror successfully," Alford-Sullivan said. "We proved [at the Big Ten Indoor Championships] that we have what it takes to beat them indoors. Now we have to see how we will match-up outdoors."

The Lions rely on the usual cast of characters that performed so well in the indoor championships, where Penn State finished third, to lead the team through this weekend's meet, with the addition of some of the outdoor stars that have emerged this season.

Christen Clemson, coming off a first place finish in the discus last weekend at the Penn Relays, will try to use some of the momentum she gained from earlier meets this year against the very strong Ohio State throwing corps.

Pole vaulter Sara Dougherty indicated that Penn State will probably be using the meet as a last chance to tune up some things before the Big Ten championships, May 14 to 16, and Alford-Sullivan agreed.

"We're going to make sure that everyone is where they should be at this point in the season," she said. "It's been a pretty big stretch of travel recently and we've been fortunate that everyone's been healthy. The team's really ready to go and we've got a lot of people chompin' at the bit to post some good times."

Every year Ohio State holds a ceremony to honor the most decorated track and field Buckeye alumnus, Jesse Owens, and his surviving family during the meet, but Ohio State women's track assistant coach Jack Warner said the family can't make the trip this year.

"I know a lot of schools like Penn State are using this meet to prepare for Big Tens, and we are too. But it's not a matter of resting if you're Ohio State," Warner said. "There's a personal attachment these kids have to this meet, and they all want to honor Jesse and show what it means to be a Buckeye. It's definitely the highlight of our season."

Warner added that Penn State's participation this weekend is speaks to the level of competition coming to Columbus. The Lions will remain in Happy Valley next week for the USTCS/PSU Meet, then head to Purdue for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships.