After posting a perfect 11-0 regular season dual meet record, the Penn State women's swimming and diving team will try to capture its third straight Big Ten title this weekend, as it competes in the Big Ten Championships.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers will serve as host
in Minneapolis, where the three-day event will decide the 2006 Big Ten champion. Competition will start today at noon, and will continue throughout the weekend until Saturday.

"Each year, at the beginning of the season, the team gets together and goes over the goals for the season," senior Nikki Collins said. "Some goals are supportive of our teammates, while some goals help our team do the best that we can do."

While the Nittany Lions have accomplished each of their goals for the 2006 season, another Big Ten title is high on the list.

The Lions are two-time defending conference champs. If accomplished, Penn State will be the first school to capture three consecutive conference titles since Michigan won 12 straight from 1987-98. The Lions have also won the Big Ten three of the past five seasons.

Along with the perfect regular season record, Penn State also boasts 30 swimming NCAA qualifying times and three diving qualifying scores heading into this weekend.

The Lions will have an advantage on the experience level, as they bring back 402 of the 552 points earned at the 2005 Big Ten Championships -- a total of nearly 73 percent.

Penn State finished an impressive regular season two weeks ago by finishing in the top spot at the Shamrock Invitational. In the event, the Lions swept all four teams, and won eight of 14 events held over the two-day competition.

During the regular season, the Lions faced only one Big Ten team. In a January dual meet, Penn State faced Ohio State, where it defeated the Buckeyes 141-98. In
the match, the Lions won eight of
13 events, and secured several NCAA 'B' qualifying times, which put them on a reserve list behind the 'A' times.

For the seniors, this will be their last conference championship, and for some, their final chance to swim for Penn State.

Not only will this match require senior leadership, but also the team is hoping that its freshmen will step up and deliver, as they have done all season.

"All of our freshmen have stepped up this season," Collins said. "They have done everything that we have asked them to do."