Old Main, Schwab Auditorium and the HUB-Robeson Center. They are all places that freshmen get to know relatively fast.

But there are other places such as Jeffrey Field, Rec Hall, The Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium that will become favorites to many students. Those facilities and others are the home to Penn State athletics.

The varsity athletic community at University Park consists of 29 teams. Each team is made up of Penn State students, which is why coaches feel it is wonderful when the student body comes to watch a game.

"It is just a fun part of going to college," Women's Volleyball Coach Russ Rose said. "You get a chance to
see some activities you are not as familiar with and people you have in classes."

Rose said the women's volleyball team also interests students because, like many teams at Penn State, it has been successful and the atmosphere is intimate.

The women's volleyball team won a national championship in 2000 and it is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation. It is also often ranked in the top six in attendance, something Rose says gives their facility, Rec Hall, an electrifying feel.

But that does not mean the team couldn't use more fans.

"I would encourage them to see as many games as they could," Rose said.

Another team that would love more fan support is the men's soccer team. Led by coach Barry Gorman, the team reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament last season.

Of last year's team, midfielders Ricardo Villar and Derek Potteiger both were drafted by Major League Soccer. This season Gorman feels that his squad has enough talent to challenge for a Big Ten title.

He asked that more people see what collegiate soccer is all about by coming out to the games.

"We have an intimate, close setting at Jeffrey Field," Gorman said. "You are not sitting in peanut heaven in the back of Beaver Stadium. You are right there so you can identify even more closely with the players on the field."

Gorman said soccer also lends itself to fans because it is a sport both women and men play.

The women's soccer team is also top notch at Penn State. The Nittany Lions advanced to the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 last season and it has been all the way to the College Cup, the collegiate soccer final four.

There are many other teams that are regular challengers for the national championship in their respective sports.

The fencing team, which holds its events in the White Building, has been the nation's best team for seven of the last eight years, including last year.

Men's gymnastics won the national championship in 2000. It was fourth last year and is always a threat.

The women's basketball team has never won the national championship, but it went to the Sweet 16 last year and has a team that could challenge for a Final Four birth this season.

If the year plays out how women's basketball coach Rene Portland plans, it would be the second Final Four appearances for her squad.

Portland is known for her love of the Jordan center fans. She said they really are her sixth player out there -- not just hers, but to other Penn State coaches as well.

"When you have a full house or noisy fan base it adds a bit of spice to it," Gorman said.

Along with the varsity sports already mentioned, there is men's and women's tennis, lacrosse, golf, cross country, indoor and outdoor track, and swimming as well as men's basketball, baseball, wrestling, women's gymnastics, softball, field hockey and men's volleyball.

And of course, there is football.

Joe Paterno and the troops will be doing their best to rebound from two losing seasons this year. Paterno wants the team to improve for the fans.

"I just think we should give them the best football we can give them and give them people they can identify with in the best way that they can and make it convenient with the stadium and all of those kinds of things," Paterno said. "Give them a weekend where they can tailgate and watch a good football team play."

The program is still a storied one. Two national championships, five undefeated seasons and one Heisman Trophy winner battled at State.

If a certain sport cannot be found in the realm of varsity athletics, one can always look at the club listings. Some of Penn State's club sports are just as successful as the varsity ones.

The Icers are Penn State's pride and joy when it comes to men's ice hockey. They have won the ACHA national championship six times, three in the past three years. Some alumni Icers have even recently tried out for the National Hockey League.

The variety of sports at University Park is about as good as it gets in the country and it gives the student just one more thing to do in his or her free time, but many players and coaches attribute their success to their fan bases.

"I think in any sport if players play to empty stadiums and gymnasiums it kills the whole atmosphere," Gorman said. "You need a crowd for that buzz of excitement and appreciation of the skills."