The Penn State women's gymnastics team has had two weeks to prepare for its competition at 8 p.m. tomorrow at the NCAA South Central Regionals in Nebraska, and its ready to go.

The Lions are scheduled to take on No. 3 Nebraska, No. 15 Washington, No. 19 Oklahoma, No. 23 Arizona, and No. 25 Illinois State in hopes of finishing either first or second for a chance to move on to the NCAA Championship finals in Athens, Ga.

Last year Penn State finished second to Michigan, just edging Florida, and the team has not finished lower than third since 1975.

The Lions are coming off of a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships held in Michigan on March 24 where they scored a 196.425. Although this is not the highest score the Lions have earned this year, it may have been their best performance.

"For the first time we hit 24 for 24 (routines)," Penn State gymnast Katie Rowland said. "That's always a team goal."

Rowland had the highlight of the competition for the Nittany Lions after finishing second in the all-around competition and being named Big Ten Gymnast of the Year.

"We had a high intensity level," Rowland said.

Rowland has had a very successful sophomore season. She has brought home five first place finishes on vault, one on bars, three on beam and five on floor. She also set the school record in the all-around competition on Feb. 17 against Rhode Island with a 39.650, and then matched that record the following week against Massachusetts.

Rowland's efforts this season have earned her the No. 2 ranking in the country in the all-around.

The Lions overall are ranked in the top 20 in all four events, including a No. 7 ranking on beam, No. 11 ranking on bars, No. 16 on vault, and a No. 13 ranking on floor.

The Cornhuskers, the Lions top competition this weekend, are also ranked within the top 20 in each event. They are currently No. 2 on bars, No. 4 on vault, No. 5 on beam, and No. 11 on floor.

Despite the second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, Penn State women's gymnastics coach Steve Shephard still believes his team can do better.

"We survived (the Big Ten Championships), but we can do better than that," Shephard said. "We need to do our routines more solidly."

Penn State will attempt to do that this weekend in an effort to extend its season a few more weeks and go on to perform at the NCAA Championships.