There are going to be more than 20 teams at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational tomorrow at 10 a.m. on the Penn State Blue course, but the Penn State women's cross country team is mostly focused on just one team -- its own.

"We are not scared. We're ready for them," senior captain Shannon Van Dyke said. "We are focused on just our performance, our times. We just want to compete overall."

That type of approach should help the youthful Nittany Lions as they prepare to host the invitational. More than twice as many teams present at last week's meet at Lock Haven will be present. But that doesn't mean the Lions will be intimidated.

"It's going to be a good weekend. We're healthy, feeling good. There's also some good competition," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said.

The teams that are expected to challenge Penn State the most are Syracuse, Maryland and Connecticut. Despite this, the Lions claimed their concerns were more about their health than the opposition.

"I'm not overly concerned. There's more worry about sickness now that we're back in school. We've been taking it easy this week," Van Dyke said.

Van Dyke is referring to the fact that the team only worked out one day this week. And with good reason. The team trained vigorously for the weeks prior to the opening meet last weekend. Having an easy week kept the team healthy and ready for a more challenging home course.

While last week's course was mostly flat, the home meet tomorrow has more hills that will test runners' endurance. That, coupled with the introduction of more opposing teams, will help get the team prepared for the more challenging and important meets as the season moves along.

"We need to work the hills. It's going to be more intense," junior Megan Hutchinson said. "There's going to be a lot of tight spaces. We have to get out fast."

A quick start will be imperative if the Lions want to have a good showing. Last week, the team was too spread out to be able to leave the Lock Haven Invitational with a victory. While freshmen Bridget Franek and Cheryl Spring did shine, there were far too many gaps and not enough balance to overtake La Salle, the top school. Penn State finished second.

But, in time, the Lions should begin to show their depth and run closer as a team. If they are able to do that this weekend, the team could surprise and finish near the top of the overall team standings.

"We are in a position to show up and be very competitive. Another race for experience," Alford-Sullivan said. "We want to keep it simple and run tighter as a team."