Last summer, Luis Vargas competed for the rings, both the international symbol and the gymnastic apparatus.

While most students were savoring their last few weeks of freedom before the start of classes, Vargas, a Penn State gymnast, traveled to Athens, Greece, and competed at the Olympics for his homeland, Puerto Rico.

"There's nothing like being there," Vargas said. "It was good being there and competing with the best in the world."

At the 2004 Summer Games, Vargas finished 15th in the all-around competition, scoring a 56.135 in a 27-man final after qualifying for the event with a score of 56.587.

"I tried my whole life to get there," Vargas said. "I was so happy to be there."

While competing, he was able to meet other gymnasts, such as Paul Hamm, who took a very controversial all-around gold medal home to the United States.

"We were in the same rotation," Vargas said. "He is a good guy and really good. He was the World Champion."

While his international experience has prepared him the most for his collegiate competition, it has also taught him discipline and a work ethic that he can apply to the Penn State team. His thirst for victory and a will to be a back-to-back all-around champion are never far from his mind.

"I want to work on the rings and the vault to make those scores higher," Vargas said. "I want to be the top three for the horse and beam."

Vargas' recent fame started back in 2001, as he was competing in the Pan American games in Mexico. He took first on the pommel horse, which helped him to earn a third-place all-around finish. His finish earned not only earned him a bronze medal, but also caught the eye of Randy Jepson, head men's gymnastics coach at Penn State and last year's NCAA Coach of the Year.

"I saw him at the Pan Am games when he was only 15 or 16," Jepson said. "I followed him from there. He went to the University of Puerto Rico for a brief time and the next year he came to Penn State."

Fast-forwarding through his freshman year, Vargas made the record books again as strong performances in his sophomore season once again repaid him with a top finish.

He became the first Penn State gymnast in 30 years to be an NCAA all-around champion.

"I came to Penn State mainly to be a gymnast," he said. "It was my first and only choice."

His win was the icing on the cake as Penn State took home its 11th NCAA team championship last year as well.

Vargas, a native Puerto Rican, never let the distance between home and his time at college affect him.

"I didn't compete at home very much, so I got used to it," Vargas said.

He credits his success in collegiate gymnastics to his experience in international competition. He took second place on the parallel bars at the 2003 World Cup, which qualified him for the Olympics.

Besides a strong work ethic and a drive to stay competitive, he has also acquired tricks of the trade that will keep him calm under pressure and always in the hunt for another shot at the rings.