For three straight years the men's fencing team has finished third at the NCAA Championships. But this is the year, team members say, that they will put away the ghosts of the past.

"The whole team is behind us and everybody has worked really hard," captain Peter Cox said. "We're not looking for second place, and if we fence our best we can win."

Added epee fencer Jim Marsh: "We're masters of our own destiny. We've been on a mission all season, and there's no reason to hold back now."

The championships begin today and continue through Saturday at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.

Penn State, which finished the season undefeated, qualified the maximum number of entries, two on each weapon, for the three-day tournament. After considering a proposal from Coach Emmanuil Kaidanov, an NCAA selection committee approved Penn State's six-man field.

Only each team's top finisher in each weapon will qualify for points, depending how high he finishes in the 30-man field.

The nation's best 30 sabre fencers will battle today to kick off the tournament. Brothers Peter and David Cox will be in action for Penn State. Peter is 34-3 on the season, while David is 34-4.

Competition continues tomorrow with the foil field. Ed Mufel (18-2), last year's NCAA runner-up, and John Orvos (8-1), who was sidelined with a back injury for much of the year, will compete for the Lions.

"Coming back physically was tough," Orvos admitted, "but more importantly, I'm ready mentally. I can spend my whole life training, but I have to have what it takes when the big time comes."

The Lions' epee hopes will rest with Marsh, the team's winningest fencer at 34-1, and freshman Geoff Russell (28-9).

"Geoff believes this is bigger than the Olympic games," Kaidanov said. "We're reminding him it's just another competition."

Kaidanov said any one of seven teams might come away with the national championship, and he doesn't think the present system is a good indicator of the best team. Because the system is skewed toward the individual, he said, the teams with the most depth suffer. Instead of nine fencers (as in a dual meet competition), only three fencers contribute scoring in the present NCAA setup.

"I don't like the system because all year we fence as a team, and at the end of the season we have to throw away everybody and just leave one or two fencers at each weapon," Kaidanov said. "It's unfair and it doesn't serve the goal to build the unity of the team."

The NCAA is considering changing the format for the team championship to one similar to dual meets.

A drawback of the present system is that valuable members of a team are left out of NCAA competition because so few individuals are invited. Kaidanov said that Lion fencers Matt Caggiano, a third-place epee All-American at the 1987 NCAAs, Brad Cellier, Ki Mun and Jason Krasowitz would likely compete at Northwestern as a No. 1 or No. 2 fencer at most other schools.

"Matt was as good as anyone else," Kaidanov said, "and Brad carried the load of team competition throughout the season. Is it unfortunate, or fortunate, for (Penn State) that we have even stronger fencers than the top two?

"The participation at practice has been tremendous," Kaidanov continued. "Even the people who knew they weren't going (to NCAAs) were there fencing their hardest, to help those selected to prepare and do their best."

For seniors Cox and Orvos, NCAAs will be their last Penn State tournament.

"I'm anxious, but I think I'm channeling it all right," Cox said. "Being nervous beforehand helps to keep the adrenaline going."

Assistant Coach Wes Glon has been coaching a Junior World Team in Greece and will meet the team in Chicago.