Sophomore sabre fencer David Cox came closer to qualifying for a competitive United States fencing team this past weekend at the North American Circuit Epee and Sabre Tournament in Portland, Ore.

Cox's 16th-place finish at the circuit keeps him in the hunt for a place on the select U.S. World University Team.

"The team takes five guys," Cox said, "and right now I'm about sixth or seventh. I'm not there yet, but I'm getting closer."

Cox encountered stiff competitors when he reached the 24-man point-getting round. A member from the U.S. Olympic team and a Notre Dame opponent, who nearly qualified for Canada's Olympic team, topped Cox by the same score, 10-6.

"I'm still learning more about fencing," he said. "Hopefully next time I won't make the same mistakes. I'm sure I'll make new ones, but you learn."

Cox, who also got points at his first circuit tournament in New Jersey, has one more chance to earn points at a Boston circuit competition in April.

"These points give David a good chance for the World University Team," Coach Emmanuil Kaidanov said. "(To qualify) is not a simple task."

The Portland circuit was not a simple task, either. Strict national competition was on hand, along with Cuban and Canadian delegates.

Other sabre fencers finished disappointingly close to the cut-off. David's brother and team captain Peter Cox fenced 25th, one place away from scoring. Jason Krasowitz placed 27th.

"They fenced very well, but it's frustrating," Kaidanov said.

The epee fencers fell short of their tournament goals as well.

Jim Marsh cruised through the early rounds of the tournament and entered the 32-man round seeded fifth, before coming up short in his first two double-elimination bouts. Matt Caggiano relinquished 4-2 leads in two five-touch bout defeats. Freshman Geoff Russell fenced well before being halted in third-round competition.

"I'm not sure what happened with Geoff," Kaidanov said. "He fenced well and something snapped. He might have been tired. He needs the patience that will come with time."

Penn State's women foil representatives failed to crack into the scoring of the nationally featured field. Katie Kowalski, Lisa Posthumus, and Janet Rossman all fenced strong, but far from the top.

"The experience was not there compared to their better opponents, and so the results were not high," Kaidanov explained.

The fencers will have this weekend off to prepare for their last home dual-meet on Jan. 28. The meet will include powerful teams from Northwetern, Princeton, and Duke.