The objective for the Penn State men's outdoor track and field team heading into last weekend's 33rd annual Gatorade Challenge at Knoxville, Tenn., was to win some prizes.

"We just wanted to go down and win some watches," senior Jaret Campisi said.

At the meet, the first-place finisher would receive a Swiss Army watch and second- and third-place finishers would receive digital watches. But that was not the only watch about which the Nittany Lions were concerned.

Penn State was also looking to obtain times and marks to qualify for the NCAA Regionals, which it accomplished, as five athletes obtained NCAA regional qualifying times or marks.

"That was the main thrust of what we wanted to do," Penn State coach Harry Groves said.

Setting NCAA Regional qualifying marks were seniors Chris Foster in the steeplechase and Campisi in the 400-meter dash. Foster had a time of 9:02.30 seconds, also a personal best, and Campisi ran in a time of 51.17 seconds.

Others who qualified for Regionals were senior Aaron Ross in the hammer throw, with a toss of 190 feet; javelin thrower Bret Kershner's throw of 100 feet 6 inches; and junior Matt Lincoln in the 800 meters, with a time of 1:50.31 seconds.

The meet was set up as the Big Ten, featuring Penn State, Michigan and current men's conference indoor champions Wisconsin, against the SEC, made up of Tennessee, South Carolina and Kentucky. The SEC finished with 420 points while the Big Ten had 298 points.

Heading into the meet, the Nittany Lions were unsure about what to expect, as they were entering a different environment than the one with which they are familiar.

"I thought it would be a big meet but it was a little more laid back," Campisi said, adding that it was a friendly-but-competitive environment.

Also, the Lions said they were shocked by how many spectators attended the meet and how involved they were. Nevertheless, the athletes said they were unfazed as they knew the strength of the SEC teams was not their home crowd advantage but the sprinting events.

"It was a good meet," Lincoln said. "There was a lot of good competition."

Like its indoor season, Penn State is off to a strong start, but this time the Lions expect to be more consistent and focused.

"It depends on everyone staying healthy," Lincoln said.

When asked what he would do with his new Swiss Army watch, Campisi said: "I usually don't wear them. I usually just hang them up."