The entire year has been a learning experience for the men's gymnastics team. When a team has only one junior and one senior, it's hard to imagine things could be otherwise.

Three weeks before the NCAA championships, the Lions (ranked No. 13 and 10-4) are still learning.

The National Independent Championships tomorrow night at Houston Baptist mark the end of the regular season for the Lions, who still have a great deal of ground to cover before they travel to Nebraska for the NCAA championships. This meet, which boasts an eight-team lineup, will be the first time that the freshmen have been involved in a collegiate meet with more than three teams and should help them prepare for the NCAA rotation.

"I kind of got psyched out being with so many teams at once at the National Independents last year," sophomore Adam Carton said. "I ended up having a bad meet but it was good to go to a meet with more than two or three teams before the NCAAs. I was forced to concentrate on what I was doing rather than what the other teams were doing."

While the freshmen will be orienting themselves with the new meet format and team competition, the upperclassmen intend to calm their nerves before NCAAs. Team captain Kurt Schier, who will compete on the still rings, said he hopes to get used to the pressure that goes along with championship meets. Last weekend, in his last meet at Rec Hall, Schier scored a 9.5. He hopes to top that tomorrow night.

"NCAAs is madness," Schier said. "This will only be half madness. It's a great prep meet for us. Hopefully it will motivate me to work out harder and do more between now and the championships. I still would like to nail my dismount. I have yet to do that."

Houston Baptist, the No. 1 team in the nation and defending National Independent champion, will present the fiercest competition for the Lions. Last year, the Lions placed second, scoring a 275.60.

"We may have some advantages this year," Coach Karl Schier said. "If your team is not yet over the hump, scoring its highest, it's a perfect meet for them in terms of preparation. In that way, we're in great shape.

"But, if your team is already gone over the peak, the coach will get conservative. We're going to go full steam ahead with this meet and HBU, I think, will be cautious. That doesn't necessarily mean we'll win, but we have a better chance."

HBU, however, is not the only foe for the Lions. They also are looking for revenge against Illinois-Chicago, who topped the Lions earlier this season.

"We'd like to rectify that loss against Chicago this year, rather than wait until next year," Schier said. "We'd like to take that loss back this weekend if possible."

While the team competition sets up to be a strong one, the individuals appear even better. Both Carton and teammate Mark Sohn will be out to beat the same man -- Houston Baptist's Alfonso Rodriquez.

Rodriquez, the 1988 NCAA pommel horse co-champion with Sohn, also is nationally ranked in the all-around and rings. When the two teams met in February, Sohn took the pommel horse title, 9.65 to Rodriquez's 9.60, while Rodriquez took the all-around title.

"Alfonso has been in the 58s already while Adam's only been in the high 56s," Schier said. "But, I like to think that Adam can go higher and can still give anyone a run for the money.

"Mark is undefeated this year and has had a very solid, consistent season so far. He's handled all of the changes in his routines and still managed to win. I think it will be a very interesting competition between him and Alfonso this weekend. They were both tighter than nails."