As they entered the Eldorado Hotel Casino's Convention Center in Reno, Nevada, for the National Collegiate Boxing Association (NCBA) national championships, Penn State boxing coach Alex Komlev and his fighters, Bret King and Vitaly Libman, may have thought, "We're not in the White Building anymore."

In front of about 600 people, the two boxers representing Penn State battled others from 19 schools around the country for the right to be crowned national champion.

Although neither King nor Libman came away with the title each craved, the Lions fought tough enough to make some recognize Penn State in the midst of the largest field of competitors in the history of the NCBA. Overmatched in number -- defending champion Air Force brought 12 fighters compared to Penn State's two -- Komlev and his boxers fought to make up for quantity with added intensity and confidence.

"There was much more pressure on our guys than there was all season," Komlev said. "Bret was especially confident because of his experience, and I thought both did nothing particularly different from the usual once in the ring."

King's confidence was clear in his convincing win in his first bout. He won his 175-pound match over UNLV fighter David Leak in front of the opponent's home crowd. The momentum carried over into his semifinal fight against Air Force's Augustin Kamdem. At the outset of the third round, it seemed as if King, the East Regional champion, was poised to make a run at his second trophy in as many weeks. Ahead in the fight, a quick right from the Falcons fighter broke King's nose and forced the referee to end the match.

"Of course I was disappointed at the end of the fight," King said. "I was doing well, the fight was going in my favor, and it's really unfortunate that one punch can change the entire fight."

King, a senior, has one more year of eligibility left, and is still undecided as to whether he will use it or not. The unquestioned leader of an inexperienced squad this season, he was grateful just to be able to step onto the national stage in Reno.

"It was a hell of an experience this weekend," King said. "I was glad to be there, and I still feel excited to have gotten the chance. Next season I know we will bring more guys, and I know the experience, especially Vitaly's, will help us a lot."

Libman, a freshman without in-ring experience before January, faired remarkably well all season and the invitation itself to participate in nationals gives him something to build on. Even after going down in his first fight on Thursday night, both he and King know that the valuable experience will help the Lions as a whole in the years to come. Komlev sees the trip to nationals as a way to motivate his team for next season, a season which looks promising as the Lions could bring every fighter back. In his mind, he knows that more than two fighters will compete in the 2005 tournament.

"With other teams having 10 to 12 guys, we're put at a disadvantage from the start," Komlev said.

"We still learned a lot about how to step up in big fights and represent Penn State. I can't wait for next season to get started."