The No. 13 Penn State women's track and field team performed as it was expected this weekend at the Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Ill.

Penn State finished fourth behind Illinois, No. 2 Michigan and champion No. 10 Minnesota. Penn State coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said that the outcome of the meet was pretty much as expected. Penn State was projected to score around 95 points coming into the weekend, and ended up scoring 92.

Though Alford-Sullivan was pleased with the team's effort, she is not entirely pleased with the state of the program after its second straight fourth-place finish.

"As much as I am I pleased with our efforts and the caliber of the performances from our team, I am not at all, not as a program, satisfied with the position of the outcome," she said. "We were fourth last year and that stings a little bit, but this year it's definitely unacceptable."

Penn State's fourth place finish shows the overall depth of the Big Ten, as Penn State is one of three Big Ten teams to be ranked in both the U.S. Track and Field Coaches Association and TrackWire.com polls. Penn State is ranked 13th and 15th in the polls, respectively. While Michigan is ranked second in both and Minnesota is ranked 10th and 13th, respectively.

The team got a boost from its relays. The distance medley team of Meghan Noecker, Dominique Blake, Megan Hutchinson and Bridget Franek took third with a time of 11 minutes, 34.55 seconds, while the 4 x 400 meter relay team of Blake, Brienne Simmons, Shana Cox and Aleesha Barber continued to show why they are one of the best 4 x 400 teams in the country, taking first with a time of 3:37.70. Their time set a new conference record.

Penn State also picked up points in the 400 meters, with Cox and Blake taking second and fourth, respectively.

Another positive for the Nittany Lions was the performance of distance runner Franek, who was competing at the Big Ten Championships for the first time. The Big Ten is historically strong in the distance events, but Franek held her own, picking up points by finishing fifth in the 5000 meters and seventh in the mile.

"Bridget did a great job all weekend long," Alford-Sullivan said. "She really made an impact in the distance events. I was impressed with her composure and her competitive spirit. She made a big dent in a very, very strong conference."

Penn State will not have to wait long to get another shot at Big Ten competition, with the outdoor season starting soon.

Alford-Sullivan said that the team is looking forward to the outdoor season.

"It's an honor to be a part of the Big Ten conference and it's an honor to be a part of such a great competition," she said. "But we're not going to settle with this. I think we're very motivated and know what we're capable of with this team and we'll get after it as soon as we can with the outdoor season."