The Penn State women's track and field team will try to add to its count of NCAA regional qualifiers this weekend as they travel to the University of Tennessee to compete in the Sea Ray Relays today and Saturday.

"Getting a performance at the regional level is certainly a piece of what you're trying to do with a meet like this, to continue your season into those championships," Penn State head coach Beth Alford Sullivan said. "But each meet is a preparation for the championships as well as a competitive experience."

The Relays, held at the Tom Black Track in Knoxville, Tenn., will feature more than 700 athletes from 70 different teams and several women's teams that Penn State has seen this season, including Virginia Tech and University of Pittsburgh. Big Ten teams from Michigan State, University of Michigan and Ohio State will also be competing.

"It gives us a good preview of some of the Big Ten schools," Alford-Sullivan said of the competition this weekend. "It builds a few rivalries in, you know who beat you indoors and who didn't beat you indoors and gives you a starting point on where to go."

Eleven Lions competing in 12 different events on the women's team have earned a spot in the NCAA eastern regional championships, which take place over Memorial Day weekend. Top finishers from the four regional championships can win spots at the NCAA championship meet.

Penn State's sprinter Shana Cox was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Week for her performance last weekend at Auburn where she ran this season's fastest 400-meter time in the Big Ten at 52.41 seconds. The Big Ten's No. 2 400-meter dash time this outdoor season came from Penn State's Dominique Blake at 54.41 seconds.

Several Penn State athletes came close to qualifying for regional championships last weekend at the Auburn Tiger Classic in Auburn. Aleesha Barber came in only 5-hundredths of a second slower than the regional qualifying time. The 4 x 100-meter relay squad came in only a quarter of a second behind the qualifying mark as well.

"The people that are that close and the relays that are that close will finish it off, hopefully this weekend," Alford-Sullivan said. "If not this weekend then very soon and it's just extra motivation to step it up one more notch."