The path to excellence is a long one, and one studded with obstacles.

Unfortunately for several members of the men's gymnastics team, the road that led to Colorado Springs this past weekend ultimately hit one of those obstacles. Or, more appropriately, several obstacles.

Five of Penn State's top current gymnasts and one Lion alumnus made the trip west to compete in the U.S. Winternationals and challenge for a shot at April's World Championships which will be held in Paris. Five winners of the six events were chosen for the National Team.

Only the lone graduate realized his goal.

Mark Sohn, four-time NCAA pommel horse champion and 1991 graduate, scored a 9.95 to win that event and earn a spot on the United States team that will compete in Paris.

"Mark just had a great performance," Coach Randy Jepson said. "I think it's good that Penn State will be recognized at the World Championships. It will be nice to have someone competing internationally."

Mike Masucci, the lone Penn State gymnast to compete in the all-around, had trouble with the first day's compulsory events and finshed the weekend 29th out of 48 gymnasts who performed in the all-around. Masucci and teammate Adam Carton were tied for eighth nationally in the all-around before this weekend.

"I could have done better," Masucci said. "I made a couple of mistakes here and there and my compulsories weren't where they should be. At least now I know where I stand."

Mike Reichenbach, No. 1 in the nation on rings, No. 3 Wayne Cowden and Lion captain Rich Briggs all performed rings sets but ran into various difficulties and finished out of contention for spots on the National Team.

Carton turned in a solid performance on the floor exercise but it was not enough to win the event.

"This was a good opportunity for the guys to get out and see what the rest of the country is doing right now," Jepson said. "For the most part they performed well. They could have been a little bit sharper, but I'm not the least bit discouraged.

"We got the chance to see what the rest of the country is doing in terms of difficulty, and we also got the chance to see what kind of depth other people have."

But while the Lions' bodies may have been in Colorado Springs, their minds were back in Rec Hall preparing for the weekend's showdown with No. 2 Ohio State. The men's and women's gymnastics teams will both be competing in a double-dual meet against the Buckeyes at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Ohio State brings a wealth of talented gymnasts into the match, including Kip Simons and Kevin Crumley, two of the top gymnasts in the country. The Buckeyes also tout the nation's No. 2 rings team and powerful floor and high bar squads.

"We're pretty excited about this weekend," Masucci said. "They're just a good team all around, like us. It's going to be whoever hits the routines. If we do the job, we can beat them. But it's going to be really, really close."

This will be the first of four possible meetings between No. 9 Penn State and Ohio State this season. The Lions are looking forward to taking on the talented Buckeyes in front of a large, supportive Rec Hall crowd.

"It's great to go into Rec Hall and we expect a great crowd this weekend because it's going to be such an excellent competition to watch," Jepson said. "That's always a big boost for our guys. To be in Rec Hall with the tremendous fan support we have, the guys really respond to that. When the crowd gets behind them they really come together and it adds a lot of encouragement for them."