De-fencing a championship

Fencers begin bid for fourth straight NCAA championship today

Today is the day the Penn State fencing team has been looking forward to all season. Today, the fencers begin the final stage in their quest for a fourth consecutive national championship.

The Nittany Lions, however, won't be entering competition at the NCAA Championships in South Bend, Ind., without concerns. There is a relative lack of experience among the 10 Lions making the trip. Only four members of this year's Penn State squad took part in NCAAs last year and three of them are sophomores. Among the other six, four are freshmen.

"It is not a very experienced team," Kaidanov said of the Lions. "At the same time, our opponents have a lot of experience."

Among the favorites to take the championship this weekend, Notre Dame and St. John's will each have several NCAA-tested fencers at their disposal. Seven Fighting Irish fencers who participated at NCAAs last year will compete this year. The strong Irish women's team will be led by Magda Krol, the 1997 NCAA champion in epee, and two-time women's foil runner-up Sara Walsh. Junior Luke LaValle will try to build off his strong NCAA performance last year for the Irish, when he finished fifth in men's sabre.

And then there is Stanford. Thanks to star fencers Felicia Zimmermann and Alex Wood, the Cardinal are considered a smart choice to take this year's team title, despite not being able to qualify 10 fencers for the competition.

But its opponents' impressive resumes don't effect the Lions. The fencers aren't willing to allow their youth to mean the end of the championship run.

"We're confident," freshman Aaron Stuewe said. "We're coming in as underdogs, but we want to show we still got what it takes."

They may not consider themselves the favorites this year, but the team does have history on its side. On Feb. 7, the Lions fenced against the Irish, and both the men's and women's team defeated Notre Dame on its home strip.

This victory is proof enough for the Lions. Experience is not the decision-maker in competition -- performance is.

"I don't think we'll be at a disadvantage (because of inexperience)," Charlotte Walker, another Lion freshman, said. "If we fence well, that's all we can ask for."

Walker joins Stuewe, Michael Takagi and Brendan Baby to form a freshman quartet striving for strong performances in their first NCAA Championships. They aren't at a loss for motivation. They've heard the talk about the demise of Penn State's title run. And they're hoping to show their youth won't hasten the end of the Lions' dynasty.

"Our freshmen have something to prove," Stuewe said. "People say we're the underdogs, but we're going to prove them wrong. I think we're going to win."

Kaidanov would love another national title. But if the three-year winning streak ends in Notre Dame this weekend, he wouldn't consider it a major disappointment.

"If we finish in the top three," Kaidanov said, "it will be a great finish."