And then there were two.

With the Penn State women's gymnastics team eliminated from further competition, seniors Katie Rowland and Katie McAvoy will vie for individual accomplishment at Saturday's NCAA Championships in Lincoln, Neb., as the rest of the team settles into offseason workouts.

Yesterday, coaches Steve Shephard, Jessica Bastardi and Bill Lorenz left with the two gymnasts to prepare for nationals, which will begin tomorrow and continue through Saturday.

With Rowland set to compete on the vault and floor routines and McAvoy slated to battle in the all-around, the two look to become the first Penn State gymnast since Pam Loree in 1986 to win an individual national championship, when Loree took home the vault title.

While this is McAvoy's first NCAA national individual competition, Rowland competed in the event in 2001. With consistent scores throughout the season, both gymnasts have legitimate chances at gaining All-America nominations. In the Northeast regional held April 12, Penn State finished fourth behind Michigan, Arizona State and Iowa State with a team score of 196.175. McAvoy qualified for nationals with a fourth-place all-around score of 39.425, while Rowland earned the floor and vault titles with a 9.950 on each event. The practice gymnasium is much quieter these days, as the non-competing gymnasts are in an off-season mode of strength training, running and conditioning exercises. With more control over the CD player and a less tense practice atmosphere, the five healthy returning gymnasts have worked on staying in shape while listening to a steady mix of pop music.

In the absence of coaches, co-captain Kelly Streicher has stepped in, temporarily assuming the role of instructor. After undergoing surgery on her oft-injured right arm earlier in the day, Streicher was timing intervals for the five remaining team members yesterday while protecting her arm in a sling and still woozy from the anesthetic.

As a captain, Streicher has remained a vital part of the team despite her injury. "I might not be able to contribute gymnastics-wise, but I want to keep the team motivated," she said.

Kate Stopper, Meredith Hoover, Jennifer Orlando, Erin Clayton and Michelle Ilg have all begun preparing for next season, participating in eight hours of NCAA sanctioned off-season training. The gymnasts are motivated to put in as much time as possible in the gym, Hoover said.

"We really want to be in the gym, and we would come in even if we didn't have to," Hoover said.