It's easy to forget how hard it is to raise a champion's banner to the rafters at an athletic institution like Penn State.

Last year, the Penn State women's track team won its first-ever Big Ten championship. If the Nittany Lions are on top of the conference after this weekend's Big Ten championship meet, then they might just become another sport that will continue to spoil Penn State fans for years to come.

"It had been stated from day one on the Penn State campus that we were going to win and be in a position to win the Big Ten title within these five years," Penn State coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said.

"This is more of making a statement of, 'We're going to be here year-in and year-out.' "

The promise last year of the program's first title was at the expense of Michigan, with the Lions beating the Wolverines, 115-98.3, in State College. This year, the championship will be held in Ann Arbor, on Michigan's home track. The Lions' first obstacle will be performing on the road.

In Penn State's only road meet of the season, the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York City, the Lions had a down meet. There were false starts, thowers fouling out and even a scheduling error for distance runners.

"Regular season stuff happens," Alford-Sullivan said. "We came back [at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup], and put it together again so we're not worried about it at all."

At the Sykes-Sabock Challenge meet two weeks ago, Penn State hosted Michigan and 11 other teams. The Lions placed first, and Michigan was second once again.

"Coming off of the competition this past weekend, seeing Michigan in pretty much full force, we feel very, very good about where we're at," Alford-Sullivan said.

Much of Penn State's success this year can be related to the emergence of the team's young athletes. Compared to last year, Penn State will be minus several senior leaders, including Olympic sprinter Connie Moore. But inexperience isn't viewed as a negative going into Big Tens.

"As young and as talented as they are, they have really just kept it fresh and alive, and they don't feel that weight of all that years of toil," Alford-Sullivan said.

The youth movement is headed by freshmen Shana Cox, Gayle Hunter and Dominique Blake. Hunter is the Big Ten leader in the pentathlon, while Cox is tops in the 200 and 400 meters. Blake runs with Hunter, Cox and sophomore Kamilah Salaam on the 4x400-meter relay team.

The sprinters will need to be ready. Michigan is very strong in the distance races, with senior Lindsey Gallo, the top mile and 3,000-meter runner in the Big Ten. But Penn State can offset Michigan by taking care of business in the sprints, hurdles and jumps, which have 13 events total, the most for any category. Michigan only has one highly ranked sprinter, senior Sierra Hauser-Price.

"Part of why we match up so well against Michigan is the fact that we have some balance," Alford-Sullivan said. "We're banking that our strengths are stronger than theirs."

For the most part the Lions don't seem disadvantaged defending their Big Ten title. And in terms of pressure...

"I don't really buy into the concept of pressure and feeling pressure, it's sport," Alford-Sullivan said.

Track and field is just a game. And many on campus are happy to know that the Lions make winning look like child's play.