Mark Barry did something this weekend that no other Penn State tennis player has ever done.

At the Big Ten Individual Championships, Barry, a junior and the team captain, made the final round.

The Championships were played at the University of Wisconsin from Saturday to Monday.

Coming into the tournament as the No. 12 seed, Barry won five straight matches, but ultimately lost in the finals to Ohio State's star Joey Atlas, the tournament's second-seeded player.

Barry had upset the No. 3 seed, Avery Ticer from Minnesota, in the semifinals to advance to the final round on Monday.

The strong showing gives Barry a sturdy platform on which to build for the spring season.

"Mark beat some of the top players in the Big Ten," Penn State assistant coach Bill Potoczny said. "He played and beat all most all of the conference's top guys."

Barry lost the first set 6-2, but came on strong in the second set and won 6-1.

He lost 6-3 in a very close third setthat was decided by only a few points.

"That game was really close," Potoczny said. "He lost basically one break in a very tight contest."

Barry's performance in finishing second in a field of 88 players is a feat that hasn't been attained at Penn State.

In Barry's freshman year, he finished second in the consolation draw, the same spot in which Penn State freshman James Dwyer finished this weekend.

Dwyer, after losing in the second round, entered the consolation draw.

Not discouraged by his loss, Dwyer went on to defeat Wisconsin's No. 14 seed Jeremy Sonkin in two come-from-behind sets for the win.

Sonkin, who was competing on his home court in Wisconsin, lost to Dwyer 7-5, 7-6.

"It was a real test of his great conditioning," Potoczny said. "Coach [Jan] Bortner and I are really proud of his performance."

Dwyer ended up losing in the consolation finals in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5.

Junior Malcolm Scatliffe entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed, but ended up losing in the quarterfinals.

Other strong performances for Penn State came from freshman Michael James, who lost in the round of 16 in the consolation bracket, and sophomore Ryan Berger, who lost in the consolation quarterfinals.

The Lions, who had not competed since October's ITA Northeast Regional Tournament, came out in this week's Championships with a fire for success that was present in Barry's finish.

"Barry seemed a little disappointed in his loss," Potoczny said. "He should still feel good about doing something for the first time ever at Penn State."

The Lions' winter competition is completed and will resume in the spring in dual competition.