Last year Lynn Crane, top all-around competitor for the women's gymnastics team, was Penn State's sole representative in the NCAAs at Georgia. Earlier, the Lady Lions had given up an NCAA bid when they placed second to Ohio State at the NCAA Northeast Regionals.

This year, however, the Lady Lions are eager to win the regional title as they start the season full of ammunition. The team has added three new choreographers, two returning gymnasts and four freshmen and lost only one senior from last year.

"We'll go as a team this year, hopefully, (to NCAAs). I didn't like competing by myself, it was real hard," Crane, a junior, said. "It was the first time in a long time I had to compete without a team there to support me. It was like I had to support myself, keep myself up."

Although Penn State broke a school record when it scored 188.35 points at regionals, the score was not high enough to beat Ohio State's 189.65.

Coach Judi Avener enters her 15th season with the goal of recapturing the Northeast Regional Championship. She believes the team's biggest improvement is in depth.

"The older girls said it helps a lot more when there's a lot more people. It should help because if some people need a rest then others can compete," freshman Allison Barber said. "That'll help keep us going throughout the season."

"I think we have a better team than last year," Avener said. "But, I don't think that we're a shoo-in to win anything.

"This team has a good level of desire," she added.

In only their second meet, the Lady Lions will contend with their biggest rival, Ohio State. Defending NCAA champion Georgia, Utah and UCLA will be the other big threats for Penn State.

"We're going against the top teams. We're glad about that because we're going to be the underdog a lot this year and going into meets as the underdog is good, it gets us fired up," Crane said. "We don't have anything to lose . . . we can go in and do our job. Hopefully, turn some heads this year."

Crane was the team's top all-arounder with a 37.73 average last year and smashed a school record with her 9.75 score on the uneven bars. She won the Atlantic 10 championship in the all-around, placed third in the regional championships and 27th at NCAAs.

"Crane is certainly the standout, steady one, who is always achieving nines," Avener said. "There are some other athletes who could choose to be standouts."

One of those standouts could be junior Kira Rohm, who captured the NCAA Regional uneven bars championship (9.70) last season and qualified for NCAAs in the event, but missed the meet because of an ankle injury.

Lisa Mallios, a vault specialist, has returned to the team after a year's absence. Two years ago, as a freshman, she scored a 9.7 on the vault and broke the school record. But it did not take long for the record to be challenged.

Last year, another freshman, Kim Thrasher, tied the 9.7 vault score. Behind Crane, Thrasher was the No. 2 all-arounder in the 1989 season. Sophomores Janice Rogers and Jada Hiltabrand were the team's third and fourth scorers, respectively, in the all-around.

The only senior, Carrie Arnesen, captains the team. Arnesen's strongest event is the balance beam.

Competition could be high with four freshmen and redshirt freshman Laurie Russo also looking for spots in the lineup. Susan Docherty (bars and beam), Barber (all-around), Lyst (all-around) and Tracy Salvino are this year's freshmen.

"I think the team looks really good. It's going to be really hard to make the lineup," freshman and all-arounder Rene Lyst said.

Russo, who took off last year to concentrate on academics, is prepared to compete on the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise in the team's first meet this Saturday. She did not practice last spring and had to get back into it this year.

"My tricks came back easily, but as far as endurance I needed a lot of work on it," Russo said.

"We're a lot closer-knit team this year," Crane said. "The freshmen are closer to the senior(s), we're not little groups and clusters. We're all sort of the same age. We learn from the freshmen and they learn from us."