Speed training, an explosive first step, technique and off-season conditioning are a few of the reasons why football players Derrick Williams, Justin King, Devin Fentress and A.J. Wallace would join the track team.

Williams and Fentress competed in the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup this weekend, their second meet since joining the team.

Derrick Williams sprinted in the 60-meter dash preliminaries, the first running event on Friday. His thick 201-pound frame was a sharp contrast to the much thinner sprinters. Williams got out of the blocks well and was near the front of his heat. He crossed the line in 7.21 seconds, good enough for fourth in his heat but was only better than five out of the 31 other runners in the event.

Penn State's Shawn Colligan competed in the same heat as Williams and finished ahead of him in 7.13.

"It was interesting to run with Derrick Williams," Colligan said. "He is one of the fastest athletes in college football."

Devin Fentress raced in the 200-meters Saturday afternoon. He ran step-for-step with East Carolina's Kevin Thompson and Kent State's Curtis Eaton before they pulled away in the last 50 meters. Fentress crossed in 22.27, finishing third in his heat and 13th out of 33 runners.

"He did well. He shows some promise," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "The 2[00 meters] and the 4[00 meters] for him are going to be very good for him. I really enjoy watching him. Preparing for competition, he is very intense and very focused on the execution of the event."

While at Western Branch High School, he finished as the runner-up in the 200 meters in the Virginia state track and field championships.

King and Wallace did not race this weekend but are continuing to practice. King competed in the Penn State National in January, running the 60 meters in 7.15 after a slight twinge to his hamstring near the finish line.

For the past month, the players have been practicing in the morning separate from the track team. The early runs fit around their demanding schedules, which are filled with classes and off-season training for football and, now, track.

Alford-Sullivan expects to see more and more contributions from the football players as the season progresses.

"We're doing a lot of training versus trying to race," Alford-Sullivan said. "As the outdoor season approaches, those guys can make a big dent on things. You have the relays, the 100 meters and the 200 meters that run outside so much smoother."

Sprinters coach Chris Johnson believes that the football players will transition well to track. They all starred on their respective track and field teams in high school, and they are dynamic athletes that can deal with the dual-sport responsibilities.

Johnson sees that the other players on the team have welcomed them, and that they have shown potential to be leaders for the rest of the sprinters.

"They have accepted them well. They are a part of the team," Johnson said. "They understand the importance of those guys to the team, so it's not a problem. The transition has been very smooth."

Williams, King, Fentress and Wallace are the newest Penn State football players to run sprints for the track and field team. Curt Warner, Ki-Jana Carter and Eddie Drummond are just a few of the Nittany Lion greats that split time on football and track. A friendly relationship between the two teams exists, and the potential for more football players to do track is likely in the future.

"There has been a lot of interest on their side. Coach Paterno and I have worked together, and the whole staff over there and our staff here," Alford-Sullivan said. "It's a gain-gain for everybody. These guys get some off-season conditioning, training and speed work. We get a lot from it as well in the sense that hopefully they will be productive for us and help us out on the team."