The men's gymnastics team is no stranger to adversity.

Sure, team captain Dominic Brindle is out with the flu. Senior Ted Johnson will not compete in the parallel bars this weekend due to a sore shoulder. Jose Palacios, the fourth-ranked all-around competitor in the country, will be a game-time decision because of an injured back and hand.

The Nittany Lions are already without the services of Senior Adam Benas for the entire year after he tore his achilles tendon.

But don't think the No. 7 Nittany Lions are going into the West Point Open this weekend with any self-pity.

"We're going to win," Tobias Ekman said.

His teammates laugh at how he answers the question without even thinking.

"I'm not kidding. We want to win. We felt horrible after the Massachusetts meet."

At 7 p.m. Ekman and the rest of the Penn State squad will defend their West Point Open title. They edged the Minutemen last year for the championship.

Last week they lost their first match ever to No. 5 UMass.

They'll get their shot at revenge this weekend and also face some of the top teams in the East.

The host team Army is ranked 11th in the nation, while No. 9 Temple, No. 14 Springfield and No. 15 Southern Connecticut State will also compete in the meet. James Madison and Navy are also competing.

The team competition will be completed tonight with the top eight finishers in each event moving on to the individual championships on Saturday.

Coach Randy Jepson knows that last week's loss to UMass is no reason to panic.

"The fact is, that is how gymnastics works," he said. "Right now we sort of have to sacrifice meets to get our routines down in practice. We're probably about a month behind because of the gym situation."

The men did not have total use of their practice facility until late November due to renovations to the White Building.

"Hopefully we can counter that by virtue of experience," said Jepson. "The key is to be ready when it counts."

The veteran leaders on the team realize that, too. It's the same game plan they used to win a national championship last year. What bothered them about last week was not necessarily the final score, but a lack of focus.

"You can make whatever excuses you want, but our heads were not in it," senior Rob Saliski said. "One thing is for sure, though — they'll be there this weekend."

Ekman, who finished second in the all-around and won the vault against UMass, agreed that the Lions need to show more discipline this weekend.

"We realize now that we must stay focused," he said. "We can't take anything for granted."

Saliski noted a definite change in the intensity of practices this week.

"With the injuries, everyone has to work and pick up the slack," he said. "But this also gives the younger guys some experience.

"It gives them the chance to show the rest of the team what they have to offer."