Senior fencer gets last chance at title

By DON WAGNER
Collegian Sports Writer

The next few weeks carry a sense of urgency for senior fencer Andy Gearhart. He is running out of time to win a national championship, and this time, there will be no "maybe next year."

This weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C., Gearhart and his teammates will try to step over the last hurdle in their pursuit of the NCAA title at the Mid-atlantic/South regionals.

The regional tournament this year will have a different look. Due to changes in the format of the NCAA tournament, only the top two finishers from each of the three men's weapons and two women's weapons will advance to the NCAAs. In past years, the top three from each weapon advanced.

It is a change that makes Gearhart feel a little uneasy.

"I think the new format will be a little more stressful on (the foil team) because, at the most, two of us will qualify, and one will be left out," he said. "Last year, all three of us qualified as a team, and this year we'll be competing against each other."

Penn State's chances are good -- it goes into this tournament as one of the strongest teams in the region. All of its weapons are ranked No. 1, except for women's foil and men's epee.

In foil, the women's team is ranked second to North Carolina, who it lost to earlier in the season. The men's epee team is ranked second to a Princeton team it beat earlier in the year. However, since the Tigers have a better overall record, they own the No. 1 ranking.

Penn State Coach Emmanuil Kaidanov said the challenges his team faces will vary with each individual weapon.

"In different weapons, challenges will come from different teams," he said.

In men's epee, Kaidanov said defending NCAA champion Princeton will be tough.

As for Gearhart, if he is successful this weekend, he will travel to the NCAAs for the fourth time in four years. He has come away with second place, both individually and with the team in his last three appearances. For a competitor like Gearhart, second place will not do anymore.

After this weekend, there will only be one more chance.

"It's getting strange for me because all of this is my last time," Gearhart said.