For two coaches, the old "We Are ... Penn State" cheers turned into a call of "O-H ... I-O." But that was back in the confines of Penn State.

Carey (Hoyt) Fagan and Bill Lorenz came into Rec Hall Saturday night as the new coaches of the Ohio State women's gymnastics team. Both have a Penn State background.

Fagan, the Buckeyes' new head coach, is a former Nittany Lions gymnast who competed for the Lions current coach, Steve Shephard.

Lorenz was an assistant with Shephard for the last two seasons before moving on to the Buckeyes.

"I told [Lorenz] he had the wrong colors on as we were walking into the locker room," Shephard said.

Fagan graduated from Penn State in 1998, the same year she captained the women's team.

A three-year letter winner for the Lions and a member of the 1995-98 NCAA Northeast Regional teams, Fagan also competed in the NCAA Championships in 1995, 1996 and 1998.

In her first year as a head coach, Fagan said that being a coach is more nerve-wracking than competing on the floor because once a gymnast is doing her routine, Fagan has little control over the situation.

The toughest part of her job is learning how to make the final decisions: she was used to making them, but now she has the last word.

"I learned from [Shephard] that not everyone will like you when you make the tough calls," Fagan said.

Lorenz said he learned a lot from Shephard that he has since applied to his Ohio State team.

The new Buckeyes both said that it was nice to come back to Penn State, but it was strange being on the other side.

Shephard had some alumni come to his house Friday night. Fagan was there, so they got a chance to catch up.

Shephard had a little part in helping Fagan get the job with the Buckeyes.

She listed Shephard as a reference, and he also put in phone calls to Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger.

Shephard encouraged her to apply for the job and supported her through her candidacy.

The Buckeyes are going through a transitional year as far as coaching and expect to improve and recruit, so they are able to compete with Penn State, Fagan said.

As for this weekend, the Lions got the best of the Buckeyes in a seesaw meet, 193.975-191.475.

"It is definitely a friendly rivalry," Fagan said.

"We didn't perform well, so that was disappointing."