After the Big Ten Conference Championships, it appears as if Penn State's women's indoor track and field team will have something to look forward to for a long time to come, as five Penn State athletes, including three freshmen, earned spots on the All-Big Ten first and second teams.

Leading the way for the Nittany Lions, junior transfer student and first-year Lion Jennifer Leatherman was selected to the first team for her first-place finishes in both the shot put and the weight throw.

"She's done a great job," Penn State coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said of her star thrower. "She's done a great job helping us be very strong in those events."

Selected to the second team were freshmen Shana Cox, Dominique Blake and Gayle Hunter. The only Penn State athlete from last year's squad to earn Big Ten honors was sophomore Kamilah Salaam, who also was selected to the second team.

Cox earned the honor in 200-meter run, Blake in the 600-meter run and the team of Cox, Blake, Hunter and Salaam together earned the honor for its effort in the 4x400-meter relay.

Alford-Sullivan is excited about the potential of having such a young corps of stars and said that when that youthful talent is paired with veterans such as junior sprinter Sara Shoaff and sophomore sprinter Brienne Simmons, Penn State can be a force in the Big Ten for quite some time.

"Really, we look like we're going to be a very strong team for some time to come," Alford-Sullivan said.

The possibilities seem endless for Penn State's 4x400 team since the four can spend three more years improving their time and gaining chemistry on the track. Hunter says that when all goes well, the team already has the capability to nail down an automatic NCAA qualifying time. She explained that when they hit their best mark of the season, Cox was sick and Blake had just been coming off two events, which caused both to run a slower split than usual.

Furthermore, Hunter sees the team sitting on the All-Big Ten first team next year.

"We haven't run to our full potential yet ... next year we'll realize that we can be one of the contenders at NCAAs," Hunter said. "By the time that list comes out, we'll be at that spot."

But right now, Alford-Sullivan is pleased that her team earned so many Big Ten honors this season.

"It's definitely an honor to have as many kids as we've had earn the honors of All-Big Ten," Alford-Sullivan said. "That's the caliber of those kids and this program."

And with the number of the young athletes performing at such a high level, Penn State should remain close to the top for a long time.

Hopeful Hunter

After reaggravating the tendonitis in her left knee at the Big Ten Conference meet, Hunter hopes that she will be able to return to practice today or tomorrow to prepare to run at Iowa State this weekend.

"Each day, we're just taking it day-by-day. Monday morning when I woke up it was pretty stiff. Today it's a little better," Hunter said of her injury. "You just got to give it time, because tendonitis, that's all you can really do, just give it time."

Back on track

After a disappointing fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Conference meet, Alford-Sullivan reports that the team is still confident and will look forward to the future with a positive flair.

"It was a disappointment at the end of the conference competition for us obviously," Alford-Sullivan said. "But in the big picture, we've had a great indoor season, and it leaves us hungry and leaves us excited for the outdoor season."