In college athletics, teams sometimes find that they accept varying numbers of athletes each academic year. The result is a particularly experienced squad during some years and a young one during others.
The Penn gymnastics team is fortunate enough to have both in 2006.
With an incoming group of nine freshmen complementing an accomplished senior class of seven, the team has aspirations of improving on last year's third-place finish in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships.
Despite the Quakers' potential for athletic success, Coach Tom Kovic emphasizes the need for his team to continue its strong academic performance.
Last year, the team had 11 Academic All-Americans and an average GPA of 3.52, some of the highest figures in team history.
"We are looking to win the Ivy championship, the Eastern Conference championship, and to qualify the team onto the first round of the [regional] NCAA Championship," Kovic said. "We're looking to place the team fourth in that group.
"Those are our goals gymnastically. But really, we want to stay healthy and we want the kids to do well in school," he added.
One of Kovic's goals has already taken a blow within the youngest class, however. Freshmen Kylie Beutler and Stefanie Navarro have already sustained injuries.
Beutler will miss several months with a lower back stress fracture, and Navarro, normally an all-around gymnast, will be limited to the balance beam for the team's opening meet on Saturday.
Still, Navarro says that she hopes the freshmen will be able to help the Quakers despite their injuries and inexperience.
"The freshmen can definitely have a big impact. And we're all excited to experience college gymnastics," she said. "I'd really like to be an all-around this year ... I'd like to make a big contribution."
Kovic knows he will need his young gymnasts to perform when the time comes, and so far he likes what he is seeing.
"I'm proud of the freshmen," Kovic said. "They're showing great maturity for a young group. They're looking forward to their first competitive meet."
As in most collegiate sports, Kovic will have to rely heavily on his seniors if the Quakers are going to win the Ivy League title.
"I think our seniors have done a very good job of taking a leadership role," senior Laura Duros said. "We each have our strengths in different areas, and I think we've done a very good job of helping everyone."
Penn opens its season on Saturday with a meet against local rivals Towson, Ursinus and Wilson.
After that, the campaign includes strong teams from the ECAC and teams such as North Carolina.
The schedule culminates with the ECAC championships on March 25 and the NCAA regionals on April 15.
Kovic knows that conquering this schedule will be a tough task, particularly when it includes the Tar Heels, one of the nation's top teams.
"We lost a strong class [to graduation]. There's no denying that," Kovic said.
"With that class, we lost a lot, particularly on the floor exercise. We're still strong in that event, but we're not as deep as we were."
On Saturday, the Quakers will begin to find out if they are strong and deep enough to repeat last year's success.
