The men's gymnastics team wants to focus on the present, but during its victory over Syracuse on Friday night, the Nittany Lions could not avoid getting a glimpse at the future.

In their first home meet, freshmen Ryan McEwen, Tony Pansy and Brandy Wood foreshadowed the Lions' potential for success over the next few years.

"I didn't know what to expect from those three," Coach Randy Jepson said after the home meet. "I followed them as I recruited, but you never know what's going to happen until they're in the fight."

All three held their own in Friday night's fight. McEwen placed third on the pommel horse (9.15). Pansy earned three scores in the nines and a fourth-place finish in the all-around (52.3). And Wood posted third-place finishes on the floor exercise (9.05) and in the all-around (53.1).

"To see them all come through the way they did, I was really pleased," Jepson said. "It shows a lot of character on their part. And it gives me a positive outlook on our future success."

McEwen only competed in two events, due in part to an injury he sustained after falling from the parallel bars last Wednesday. Despite feeling sore, McEwen said he knew he had to hit his routines.

"I didn't want to let the team down," McEwen said. "I wanted to have my first meet at Rec Hall be a good one."

Competing in Rec Hall has an encouraging effect on the gymnasts.

"When they come here," Jepson said, "they compete with not just their heads and their minds and their bodies but also with their hearts."

McEwen said the Rec Hall fans really impressed him.

"They just got you going," he said. "And you didn't want to do anything wrong."

The freshmen gave the fans a reason to cheer when they helped the Lions clinch a victory during the high bar event.

"I like high bar to be last because it's the most exciting," Wood said. "I was just thinking 'get up there and swing, just go, you can't hold back.' "

The freshmen have held nothing back this season after replacing three graduated all-arounders from last year

"Us three, as freshmen, were pretty confident that we could fill their shoes," Pansy said.

Captain Mike Masucci was also sure of the freshmen's ability to compete on the collegiate level.

"They were high guys on the totem pole in terms of national team level in high school," Masucci said, "so they've been in the big meets before."

In those national meets, all three earned high honors. Wood was the all-around champion at the 1992 Class I Junior National Championships, where McEwen finished in third place, just 0.15 behind his teammate. Pansy also placed nationally, finishing third on the pommel horse at the USA Championships and 10th in the all-around of the Junior Elite Division.

Backed by this past success, the new Lions have already begun to turn their efforts into accomplishments for the team.

"The freshmen did an excellent job (against Syracuse)," Masucci said. "They should be really proud of themselves."