While the rest of the student body is basking in the sun on the beach or just relaxing at home, the members of the No. 3 Penn State men's gymnastics team will remain in State College to train and compete. While in Arizona for a meet, the team will get one day off to relax and have fun.

"I obviously don't like sticking around here while my friends are in the Caribbean or something, but we have a job to do," junior Matt Abboud said. "It's tough because everyone is leaving and we're here in State College. It's almost a ghost town, but Arizona will be nice because the weather will be nice and we'll get to hang out at the pool and relax."

The Nittany Lions will participate in two meets during spring break. Tomorrow they will travel to Arizona State for the Southwest Cup where they will face several West Coast teams and the Mexican National team. Next weekend they will travel to and face No. 17 Navy.

"It will be a good chance for our guys to see the West Coast talent and be in front of some other western judges," head coach Randy Jepson said.

Both meets will be a good chance for the Lions to improve their score and also gain some more valuable competition experience before the Big Ten and NCAA championships. The only problem which may occur is lack of focus because the teams they will face are not as much of a threat as other opponents.

"The thing I worry about is guys taking things for granted and ending up with injuries," Jepson said. "That is what the coaching staff is going to have to center on and set some goals for these guys as far as the number of stuck landings and routines. We have to put some team goals out there so they have things to focus on."

Injuries continue to trouble the team. Junior Jay Kim got hurt during practice earlier in the week when he hit the high bar and now has a swollen jaw, but will be okay for tomorrow's competition. Junior Duke Van Vleet, who has been plagued with injuries and illnesses throughout the season, suffered another setback this week. He tore a ligament in his knee and most likely will not be able to compete tomorrow, but should be back for the meet against Navy.

"The best thing is that it came now and not later or earlier in the season," Van Vleet said. "Another good thing is that with me not being able to do a few events or may not even compete this weekend, that gives the opportunity for Randy (Jepson) to put someone younger in my spot. It's good for them to get experience in meets like these because you want to know if they can handle it for bigger meets."

After losing to Ohio State by only one-tenth of a point last Saturday, the Lions will have even more motivation to do well and stay focused going into these meets.

"When the time comes, we'll be ready," Jepson said. "These guys don't want to let that happen again. They are in a position where they can win Big Ten's, but things have to go our way and we have to do things right."