Is this weekend really what the Penn State men's gymnastics team needs with the Big Ten and NCAA Championships only a little more than a month away?

The Nittany Lions, still No. 5 in the country this week after a dramatic win at Ohio State last weekend, will host No. 13 William and Mary in Rec Hall at 3 p.m. tomorrow. The competition isn't exactly championship-caliber material. William and Mary is no Ohio State, nor, for that matter, is it any other Big Ten program. Five of the teams in the conference hold spots in the nation's top 10.

Sophomore all-arounder Luis Vargas, a very substantial contributor to a possible championship run, will be missing competition for the second time in the team's last three outings.

Vargas, who has missed one meet due to a head injury and saw limited action in the Ohio State meet because he was recovering from the injury, will be traveling to New York City as one of eight gymnasts in the world that were invited to compete in the Visa American Cup tomorrow at Madison Square Garden. The absence is not something that men's gymnastics coach Randy Jepson believes will be detrimental.

"In some ways I see it as a blessing in disguise," Jepson said. "He's still going to get good competition, and it allows us to get some other people in the lineup, which will improve our depth. It's kind of to our advantage because we're getting more guys with competitive experience."

Vargas' national and international exploits won't stop in New York City. Next weekend, while the Lions travel across the country to battle national power Stanford, he will be traveling in the opposite direction to compete in the Cottbus Cup in Cottbus, Germany.

"That's two big weekends in a row and that will be great preparation for him for the Big Tens and NCAAs," Jepson said of Vargas' opportunities.

Ludwig Kern and Jerker Taudien are two guys that Jepson feels will step up and take advantage of the opportunity to compete in events they don't normally compete -- just as Steve Tobin did against Ohio State on the high bar apparatus.

As for worrying about William and Mary, there is the chance that the team could face another let down, such as the one they had against a less talented Temple team two weeks ago. Ohio State was the type of competition that spurred the Lions gymnasts to their second highest team score of the year (218.800) and season-high scores on the vault (37.500) and high bar (37.000).

William and Mary may not inspire those types of performances, but as long as the NCAA Championship is the target everyone is focused on, there is no room for a let down.

"They know that they've got to show well in every meet, and everything is sort of a rehearsal to the end," he said.

--By Chad Reott