If the Penn State women's track and field team wants to clinch its second Big Ten Championship in three seasons, it knows where the points will come from.

"Our depth and strength is in the sprints, jumps and hurdles," Penn State women's track and field coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said.

While hoping to score sufficiently in other areas, Alford-Sullivan knows her program will need to bring out its "A" game in the sprints as the women's Big Ten Championships begin tomorrow in Madison, Wis.

"We need to be on. We have to perform. We can't afford mistakes," Alford-Sullivan said.

In the sprints, jumps and hurdles, Penn State will be without sophomore star Gayle Hunter, who has been battling a knee injury since early in the season. Hunter and teammates have said that she will not be running in the championship meet this weekend; however, Alford-Sullivan said yesterday that Hunter may still run in the relays.

In an interview last week, Hunter said that while jumping in the Penn State National Open meet on Jan. 25, she broke off a piece of her patella. She said that she will need about six to eight weeks recovery time, and her return for the outdoor season is questionable. Hunter has not practiced with the rest of the team since the injury.

Hunter has talked about the possibility of obtaining an official redshirt for the indoor season, though she competed in three meets. She also said that redshirting the outdoor season is not out of the question.

"I'm pushing to be back [for outdoor], but if I'm not 100 percent then I'm not going to because I'd rather be 100 percent and do well than be 95 percent and just be mediocre," Hunter said.

This weekend, Penn State will need other athletes to perform well to make up for the loss of Hunter. In Hunter's absence, the Lions will be looking to sophomore jumper Lena Bettis and freshman sprinter and hurdler Aleesha Barber to fill the gaps that Hunter will leave. The coaches are more than confident that they can do that.

"They know what a critical point we are at now," sprints coach Chris Johnson said. "They are prepared to step up."

Illinois junior Yvonne Mensah is a major threat in short sprints and jumping events. She has the fastest 60-meter dash in the conference as well as the longest triple jump and long jump.

The Lions will look to sophomore All-American Shana Cox to post big numbers in the 200 and 400-meter runs. Cox currently has the fastest times in the Big Ten in both events this season. Senior Sara Shoaff has the second-best Big Ten time in the 200.

Cox's biggest challenge in the 400 will likely be Indiana junior Stacey Clausing, who has a top-25 time nationally.

A wildcard performer could be junior Amber Strouse in the pentathlon. Strouse has been improving week-by-week and has the fourth-best score in the conference. Since the pentathlon is the first event on Saturday, a strong score from Strouse could pump up her teammates for the competition to follow.

"If she cleans up a few events, she'll pick up her score quite a bit," Alford-Sullivan said.