The Arizona gymnastics team will start the season with a rare commodity in the sport: depth. With five incoming freshmen expected to contribute, the No. 7 Wildcats will be seven deep at each of the four events: vault, uneven bars, balance beam and the flo or exercise.

"Our strengths are going to lie with how well our younger kids do. If they do well and our older kids stay consistent, we are going to do well," UA gymnastics coach Jim Gault said.

Arizona's first test will be the University of Denver tonight at 7:30 in McKale Center. Last season, the Wildcats beat the Pioneers 193.925 to 186.625.

"They're usually not one of the ranked teams, but from talking to the coach they appear to be a better team than they've had in the last couple of years," Gault said.

The Wildcats are returning four seniors, three juniors and a sophomore. This experienced group will be led by junior Tenli Poggemeyer, last year's top all-around performer, senior Karen Tierney and junior bars specialist Becky Bowers.

Poggemeyer was Arizona's most consistent performer last season. She recorded the second-highest all-around score in school history, 39.30, against UCLA and UC-Santa Barbara. She also recorded the highest beam score in UA history with a 9.95 at the Midwest Regionals.

"We have been looking great in practice and we have a nice balance between freshmen and experienced performers," Poggemeyer said. "We are ready for the season to begin."

Tierney was on a record-breaking pace, setting personal bests in three events, before she suffered a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee during a beam dismount at the Cat Classic last February.

"The injury is better now, but it definitely put my priorities in perspective," Tierney said. "I'm just going to try and help out on bars and beam and see if later on I can help on floor."

Bowers was the second-best bars performer in the conference, earning a 9.90 in the Pacific 10 Conference Championships. Her season was highlighted by her brush with perfection when she recorded a 10 against Utah.

Senior Shane Allbritton will compete in the all-around against Denver, and senior Darci Wambsgans will compete in the floor exercise, vault and beam. Senior Jessica Marshall will also contribute in the vault and bars.

"We will look to our four seniors for leadership. How our upperclassmen compete and face the challenges in front of them will be really important for us," Gault said. "We really need them to be steady."

The youth movement will be led by Heidi Hornbeek, Maureen Kealey and Kristin McDermott. Hornbeek, a native of Glendale, will start out as Arizona's second all-around competitor. McDermott was also projected in the all-around at the season's start, but a r ecent knee injury in practice has sidelined her for an indefinite period of time, Gault said. Kealy should also eventually find her way to the all-around but she has some work to do on beam before she breaks the top six in that event.

"This group of freshmen is a very impressive one. They have really looked great in practice," Tierney said. "As upperclassmen, we just have to make sure we continue to support them as the season goes on."

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The Arizona gymnastics team received its first major recruit when Kiernan Andrews signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Arizona next fall.

"Kiernan is a level 10 gymnast and a member of the level 10 national team," UA coach Jim Gault said. "A level 10 gymnast is one step below the elite level which is required for Olympic participation. But most people cannot tell the difference between a go od level 10 performer and an elite level one."

Andrews, a Rocklin, California native, claimed the 1995 Northern California Vault Championship and placed third in the floor exercise and fifth in the all-around competition. She is currently training at the Gymagic gymnastics club in Rocklin.

"She is a national level vaulter and should come in and be an asset to our team from the start," Gault said.