Some would call it rebuilding, but the women on the Penn State gymnastics team are rekindling the flame that lit the way to a third-place finish at the 2003 Big Ten Championships and a fourth-place nod at the NCAA Northeast Regionals.

However, the loss of Katie Rowland, Katie McAvoy and several other key members of last year's team will make that task much more arduous for the 2004 Nittany Lions.

Rowland, an All-Big Ten gymnast and Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, joined McAvoy to compete in the NCAA Championships last year. They left something behind for the Lions this year -- a gap that won't be so easy to fill.

Penn State returns only six players and has added seven new faces to the 2004 roster. However, the Lions (0-1) have high expectations for the newcomers.

"We have people that will fill [Rowland and McAvoy's] shoes," senior Kelly Streicher said. "We are really young, but have a lot of talent."

Last Friday's meet was the first taste of collegiate competition for three of the five freshmen. The atmosphere was more intense.

The crowd was a rowdy 8,000 fans cheering for the Lions' opponent and the format was more team-oriented than based on individual performance.

That is perhaps the biggest adjustment the freshmen must make while adapting to college from the high school level of competition.

"As a team, we've been working on being confident and going from environment in club to now where it's more of a team effort, and the freshmen are really understanding," sophomore Meredith Hoover said.

The freshmen aren't the only gymnasts adapting.

Although both have collegiate experience under their belt, juniors Lisa Clark and Cécile Allen are new to the Penn State gymnastics program.

Allen, a transfer from West Chester, must prepare to bring her performance up a notch to the Big Ten level of play, while Clark is competing after a year and a half away from competition.

After transferring from Auburn, Clark was forced to sit out a year before she could join the Penn State squad.

Getting herself back in shape was the toughest challenge for the all-around gymnast. Clark's re-emergence was complimented with a second-place finish in the all-around at the team's meet against Alabama last weekend.

"Getting back into shape was the hardest part," Clark said.

"But, when I came to Penn State, I knew my body could handle it," Clark said.

"I'm somewhat satisfied with my performance, but personally I can do better."

The gap left behind by Rowland and McAvoy may not be so spacious after all.