The fair thing to say is that every opponent should be attacked the same way. The truthful thing to say is that there are those opponents that you just want to beat more than others.

Starting at 11 a.m. today, the Penn State men's swimming and diving team is traveling to Ohio State to compete in the Ohio State Invitational. Big Ten foes Iowa, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State and 2004 conference champion Minnesota will be on hand, along with Kenyon, for the weekend.

"Minnesota will probably be our toughest opponent," senior Shawn McLin said. "They are always up there at the top three. We're going up against the defending champions."

After the most difficult week of practice so far this year, the team is ready for the challenge. Penn State men's swimming coach Bill Dorenkott has stressed the importance of consistency to his team. Each day of the three-day meet will begin with preliminary races, which are essential to the team's success, according to Dorenkott.

"We need to swim well in the morning," Dorenkott said. "With six sessions, it is important to come out fired up in the morning and ready to race."

The grueling schedule will be a first for the large group of freshmen on the team. The freshmen have proven they are up for any unfamiliar situations that they may be thrown into at any given time. Dorenkott wants to see the men step up and remain consistent both physically and mentally throughout the weekend.

"The six-session meet for the freshmen is going to be an eye-opener," Dorenkott said. "It's a challenge."

According to Dorenkott, the group has embraced challenges so this meet should not be any different. Being on top of every session is key for the freshmen.

One group of events that has proven to be successful for the men's team is the relays. The men have won the 400-meter freestyle relay in their last three meets. They came in second in their only other meet of the season.

Despite the success, Dorenkott is still switching swimmers around to find the best combination for the relays. Dorenkott has said he will be expecting the best relay times of the season this weekend. The times have been progressively improving throughout the year.

"We want to get a little bit faster. We want to make sure our four best swimmers go to the blocks in February," Dorenkott said in reference to the Big Ten Championship meet later in the season.

For now, the Nittany Lions are looking to go into the Ohio State Invitational and make a statement. It wouldn't hurt to come out on top against fellow Big Ten rivals. However, the team is primarily looking for personal success, as McLin points out.

"The mindset should be on racing and really going out there and competing," McLin said. "You don't have to win, but to show you're racing. We are going to need a whole team effort. We need to give 100 percent with every race."