As if the task facing the Penn State wrestling team today and tomorrow at the Virginia Duals was not hard enough, the Nittany Lions will have to go after the title with out two key wrestlers.

Junior Nate Wachter and sophomore Scott Moore, starters at 149 and 141, respectively, will stay home this weekend after missing a practice earlier in the week.

Freshman Jason Woodall will take over for Wachter and freshman Jarrad Turner, winner of an in-practice wrestle-off on Wednesday against Eric Narkiewicz, will replace Moore. Woodall has seen extensive action this season, including wrestling in two of the Lions' three dual meets last weekend. Turner, though, will be making his varsity debut this morning at the Hampton Coliseum.

Full lineup or not, there is a lot riding on this tournament for Penn State. After falling to Pitt and West Virginia, and being embarrassed by Lehigh last weekend, a strong showing is in order to return some luster to the fading program. Sensing the urgency, head coach Troy Sunderland and staff stepped up the intensity in practice on Monday and Tuesday, working the team as hard as they had all season.

"After last weekend we reevaluated some things," Sunderland said. "It's not an issue of conditioning or technique, it's a matter of pride and having the will to win. Its tough to expect some of our young guys to beat people ranked fourth or fifth in the country, but when you're in a one or two point match, you've got to find a way to win."

The bitterness of the Lions last showing was not lost on the wrestlers themselves.

"Everyone's a little disappointed," junior Mark Becks said. "Last weekend was not how we wanted to start out the season, especially at home, but every week is a new season. We're a better team than we've shown, we just have to battle more."

The Lions return to Hampton, Va., after a 10- year stretch of competing in the National Duals. And for a Penn State team looking for a turnaround, there is no better place to do it. Five previous appearances have yielded three championships and victories over powerful programs such as Oklahoma State, Iowa, and Oklahoma.

This year's field, which includes conference rivals Wisconsin and Indiana and eastern powers Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and Hofstra, is not as daunting as in the past, but it does provide strong competition and some extra motivation.

"We've seen some teams like Virginia Tech and Missouri already, but I would love to get another shot at Pitt," Sunderland said.

Junior Doc Vecchio echoed his coach's thoughts.

"I'm not totally sure of every team that's going to be there, but I know we all want Pitt again, especially me," said Vecchio, who lost to Pitt's eighth-ranked Carl Fronhofer in overtime on Jan. 5.

Of the 16 teams in the tournament, eight will receive seeds, which will determine the first round matchups. Sunderland was unsure if his squad would be one of those eight.

With a field comprised mostly of eastern teams, Penn State will most likely not be treading into unfamiliar waters with any team they might face. More than likely, the Lions will be paired with teams they have historically dominated. Of Penn State's 15 possible opponents this weekend, the Lions have faced 12, amassing a 130-24-6 record over the years.

"I'd like to think that we can continue that," Sunderland said. "But it's not up to me. It's up to the 10 guys we send out onto the mat to represent our program and that tradition."

For Sunderland the solution to improvement is simple.

"We have to set the tone more," Sunderland said. "The more we stand around, the more we get beat. We've been having good practices, now I want to see the results in competition."

Each team is allowed to enter 15 wrestlers for 10 weights to be eligible for competition. As of Wednesday, Sunderland had his roster trimmed to 16. The weights being considered for bringing two wrestlers include 125, 133, 157, 184, 197 and heavyweight.