No. 3 gymmen to meet old friends, make new in Illinois

For the Penn State men's gymnastics team, tomorrow's meet in Champaign, Ill., will be like the first day of high school. There will be some familiar faces along with some new ones, in totally new surroundings.

The familiar faces will belong to the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines, which lost at home to the No. 3 Nittany Lions last week. The new faces will be those of the also No. 7 Fighting Illini, whose season already includes a second-place finish at the Windy City Invitational in Chicago.

"Illinois is going to be very, very difficult to beat," said Lion head coach Randy Jepson. "It's a tough place to compete."

The Wolverines head into the rematch knowing a win won't be easy. Michigan is tied with Illinois in the rankings and realizes it's going to be a tough bout all season long with the Illini.

"It's going to be pretty tight from third to fifth place (in the Big Ten)," Michigan assistant coach Jason MacDonald said. "We're trying to go in there and do the best we can."

Michigan, however, is not like the fledgling freshman who just cannot get his locker open. Its locker is instead loaded with lots of promising talent.

Sophomore Jose "LaLo" Haro is a potential All-American, looking to return to form after a "disturbing" performance last week, MacDonald said.

"He's looking good and we're trying to keep him healthy," MacDonald said.

Health is a mandatory class in high school, and a mandatory concern not only for Michigan -- the Lions have been dealing with their own health issues.

Captain Roy Malka has recovered from a heel injury to compete in the floor exercises this weekend and freshman Dominic Brindle, who has yet to compete this year due to elbow surgery, has been cleared to increase practice time. Eddie Seng, however, won't be going to Champaign due to a pulled groin.

Energy level has also been a factor for freshman Tobias Ekman, whose performance dropped off last week after a rousing home debut Jan. 16. Jepson said the novelty of being in America has worn off and the daily rigors of classes and practice have caught up with Ekman.

"He's been real tired," Jepson said. "It's a difficult thing for him to adjust to."

The Lions, though, can't stand for a lack of energy this weekend.

"There's a job to be done," Jepson said. "We're going to have to have (good routines) from everyone to win."