Swim training requires a certain faith that it will work and pay dividends. A coach can monitor strokes and turns, but must rely on the swimmers' own daily physical efforts to know that practice is effective.

With the Big Ten Championships just three weeks away, the Penn State women's swimming team now has to trust that everything it has done will merit success. The No. 14 Nittany Lions (4-1) will use this weekend's two-day meet at No. 19 Indiana (6-2) to prepare.

"I'd like to see us gaining some momentum," Penn State coach Bill Dorenkott said, citing three ways.

First, Dorenkott said that he wants to strengthen the relationships already present among the team's members.

"Being on a road trip is a great way to get to know your teammates," Dorenkott said.

Second, technical skills will be sharply monitored and honed. Ideally, starts will become as quick as possible, turns crisp and strokes efficient. Dorenkott said that head-to-head racing, which can help perfect finishing technique, would also be useful in this aspect.

Scaling down yardage and resting is the third step of Dorenkott's plan, but the Lions won't be looking to rest against the Hoosiers.

"I wouldn't be misled by the fact that we're ranked pretty high," Dorenkott said, also saying that the Hoosiers -- who return eight All-Americans this year -- swam better times in 14 of the 20 events to be scored this weekend.

With this being the only Big Ten meet of the year for the Lions, Dorenkott said that scheduling a season full of Big Ten teams is a tough proposition. Unlike football, for instance, the schedules are up to the decision of the coaches.

Due to geographic location with regard to the other Big Ten teams, Penn State swam against teams closer to campus, like Virginia and West Chester. Asking teams to travel from Michigan and Illinois might sometimes be too much.

"Most teams don't like to travel to Happy Valley," Dorenkott said. "[But] we'll face the Big East, ACC, SEC, NCAA champs."

Despite these reasons, and despite the fact that a consistent Big Ten schedule might generate annual rivalries, it doesn't hurt the Lions in the end.

"You can't change the past," sophomore Margy Keefe said. "They have the same disadvantage [of not swimming against us]."

Though one can't see which swimmer will have success the way one can spot an excellent free-throw shooter in basketball, looking at past performances and overall effort in practice can give an idea. Dorenkott predicted two swimmers, Keefe and senior Kristen Woodring, will have success at Big Ten Championships.

"They really jump to mind," Dorenkott said. "We have some individuals that are on a mission, and it's obvious."

If prior success means anything, Woodring and Keefe's performances show that they have had it. At last year's NCAA Championships, Woodring earned All-American status with the 200- and 400-meter medley relay teams, which finished fifth and fourth, respectively. Keefe, in her freshman debut, earned three honorable mention All-America honors, highlighted by a 12th-place finish in the 1500-meter freestyle.

If desire to succeed means everything else, it is also not lacking.

"I wanna make us top 10 in the country, make people aware of how good Penn State is," Keefe said.