After a season that saw the Penn State women's gymnastics team finish third at the Big Ten Championships, fourth at the NCAA Northeast Regionals, and sent two seniors to the NCAA National Championships, the squad is regrouping.

But maintaining its high hopes.

"We'd like to win the Big Ten and qualify for the NCAA championships," Penn State women's gymnastic coach Steve Shephard said.

No. 16 Penn State fell just short of qualifying for the NCAA championships last season.

"I was a little disappointed [with the outcome of last year's finish], actually," Shephard said. "I think we were one fall away from qualifying for national championships. There were a lot of positives, but we set our goals high."

Penn State's confidence this season hasn't altered a bit despite the graduation of two standout gymnasts.

"Katie Rowland and Katie McAvoy are huge losses and we're going to miss them, but everyone has to start over," Shephard said.

Even without McAvoy and Roland, an All-Big Ten gymnast and Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, hopes remain high for this season's squad, as there will be many new faces called upon to shoulder the load.

"I expect a really good year," Kelly Streicher said. "We have a lot of talent and we are really healthy which is really rare."

Streicher, the lone senior competing this season, as Dina Sulyma will miss the season for medical purposes. The upperclassmen will be called upon to lend their support to the five freshmen and two trasfers.

"[The freshmen] are coming from an environment where they competed individually," sophomore Meredith Hoover said. "Now it's more of a team effort and the freshmen are really understanding of that."

Shephard expects junior Kate Stopper to step as up well as Hoover and junior Lisa Clark to produce solid performances in the all-around competition. Shephard also is counting on a solid team effort and the leadership of co-captains Hoover and Streicher to compile the ingredients of a successful season.

"The older girls have been working with the freshmen and explaining what Penn State traditions are all about and what it means to play for Penn State," Streicher said.

The season gets started tonight as the team travels to Alabama for a meet against the Crimson Tide at 8:30.

"I really think that our coaches have chosen the most consistent people to compete this weekend," Streicher said. "We're not going to judge our performance on whether we win on lose. We just need to hit our routines."

The Lions will face Big Ten foes Ohio State and Minnesota, as well as top non-conference opponents including Yale, West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma.

Penn State will also host the 2004 NCAA Northeast Regional Championships.