In looking to define the word "dominate," one would find that it means to control, to rule, to occupy a more elevated or superior position.

If a dictionary possesses a word more emblematic of what has occurred the last six years at the West Point Open, it has yet to be found.

The No. 2 Penn State men's gymnastics team travels to West Point, N.Y., to participate in the 13th-annual West Point Gymnastics Open today and tomorrow. The Nittany Lions gymnasts will be competing with huge targets on their backs. They have won the meet the last six years, making them victorious in half of the 12 Opens.

"The last few years we've kind of won pretty handily . . . I think we've just had some better talent than some of the other teams the last couple of years," Penn State men's gymnastics coach Randy Jepson said.

The West Point Open is the largest gymnastics competition in the East and is also considered to be in the upper echelon of competitions in the country. The assemblage of teams, which includes No. 7 Nebraska in this year's fray, does nothing to refute that notion.

Excluding the Lions and Nebraska, six of the nation's top-20 programs will be competing. Aside from the possibility of a seventh West Point Open team title, an interesting subtext could emerge as the headline this weekend for the Lions. Kevin Tan, the defending NCAA, Big Ten and West Point Open champion in the still rings, will face stiff competition from the nation's No. 2 still rings performer, Army's Brian Lee. Lee tied Tan for first place on rings in the opening meet of the season.

"I'm pretty much going in there not really thinking about rings," Tan said. "I'm more about what the team needs and how I can contribute to that."

Tan is the epitome of team-first, individual accolades second, but that does not take away from the undeniable brilliance he possesses on the rings.

"If [Tan and Lee] are judged evenly . . . people looking at the same things people should be looking at . . . Kevin blows him out of the water," Jepson said. "He's hands-down a better ring man . . . I don't know if there's anybody in the country right now that's been able to do what Kevin's been able to do on the rings."

The Lions expect to bring home a seventh title, but they'll need to get more than that out of the weekend to be satisfied.

"I think, along with West Point and every other meet, we go in there to better ourselves," Tan said. "And yes, we should probably win it, but that's not the attitude we go in with."

-- By Chad Reott