"[The meet] will be a challenge, especially in light of the fact that Vargas won't be competing," Jepson said. "We'll have to be at our best to beat [Ohio State] without Vargas."
Though there is an exhibition match Tuesday featuring a college all-star team from Japan, tomorrow's meet will be the final regular season meet at Rec Hall for the graduating seniors, and Jepson would ideally like to put most of his seniors in competition.
"It's just tough coming up with a lineup," Jepson said. "The way the team fits together, we end up losing some great personnel to get everyone in."
It is personnel the Lions seemingly cannot afford to lose, going up against the Buckeyes, a team that Jepson said has no glaring weaknesses that for the team to expose.
"They're pretty solid across the board," Jepson said, naming pommel horse and high bar as the strongest events. Despite the changes and the significance of the event, Penn State's coaching staff has no problem with facing a slew of tough teams in the middle of the season. Ohio State will be the third Big Ten team in as many weeks for the Lions. Going up against Illinois, Michigan and now the Buckeyes is all a part of the progress toward the end of the season with the Big Ten and NCAA Championships looming about a month away. And they represent more than just conference opponents; they are three of the top-five teams in the nation.
"They're not just Big Ten-solid teams, but they're the top teams in the country," Jepson said. "So to see those teams here in midseason is just terrific for our guys. They won't have any surprises come the Big Ten [Championships] or NCAAs."
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