"We are the Champions" floated through the gym as the Penn State men's gymnastics team took to the practice mat late last week. Fitting, because it is, in fact, the defending national champions. Will the same tune be playing at the end of this year's season?

Head coach Randy Jepson remains cautiously optimistic that the team can repeat last year's national championship, the 11th in school history, as he returns for his 15th year as head coach.

"We have a very strong senior class, a lot of leadership at the top and that's one of the strengths of this team," Jepson said.

At the top of the senior class is last year's NCAA all-around champion and 2004 Olympian Luis Vargas. Joining Vargas are Ludwig Kern and captain Steve Tobin.

Even though the senior class will be leading the way, "one of the keys for us is to bring the other guys along, have them develop into solid competitors," Jepson said.

One gymnast who is poised for a breakout year is junior all-around Matt Cohen.

"He's got a year of experience under his belt; Matt has shown that he's a pretty solid competitor, [and] I think he's going to do a nice job for us," Jepson said.

The team has high hopes for a new addition Vladi Klurman, a freshman who will compete in the all-around when he arrives in January.

"[Klurman] could be a plus for us," Jepson said.

With the arrival of Klurman -- the and possible breakthrough of Cohen -- the hope is that this year's group of experienced veterans and new faces can compensate for the talent lost last season.

Indeed, the team lost vital keys to its championship squad last year. Kevin Tan, repeat national champion on the rings, exhausted his eligibility at the end of the 2004 season. Pommel horse connoisseur Nat Eng, who came up huge at last year's NCAA tournament, and last year's captain Duke Van Vleet have left the team in younger hands.

"The team lost a lot of good guys, especially Kevin Tan," Vargas said. "But I don't think that it will affect the team."

Even though Tan won't be competing, he remains a vital asset to this season's campaign. He will be training with the team and acting as a volunteer coach, which Jepson believes will greatly benefit the squad.

"[It's important to] have a guy in the gym who's experienced, who's been there, somebody people can look up to...somebody else people can go to if they need to," Jepson said.

Ironically, this year's decimated crew has pulled a higher preseason ranking in the GymInfo Poll than last year at this time. The team is ranked third behind Oklahoma and Illinois. Penn State has some regional company near the top, as three out of the top five are Big Ten schools.

There is no certain date that Penn State has circled on their schedule; instead, the competition is evenly spread throughout.

"We're looking to be at the top of the Big Ten and the NCAA," Jepson said. "There's probably more parody at the top this year than any year I can remember."

The team opens competition in the beginning of January but looks to peak at the end of the season. Not only will they be fighting for a Big Ten title and a National Championship, but their final home meet will feature an all-star cast when the Nittany Lions take on the 2004 Olympic team Champion, Japan.

The opposition maybe tough this year, but as Jepson said, "We're not going to roll over and die for anybody."

He has the utmost faith in his gymnasts to stand up to the challenge.

"If they're hungry enough to want to achieve, they'll pay the price, they'll work hard and put themselves in a position where they can vie for a national championship," Jepson said.

And if they can do that, they will hear the same sweet song come April.