Fencer Tom Peng stepped up when it mattered most

Penn State junior epee fencer Tom Peng didn't have much time to dream last Saturday night. He was so anxious to compete, he only got an hour of sleep.

He made up for the lost time last Sunday afternoon.

His team was down three points to a tough Notre Dame squad heading into the last day of competition at the NCAA Fencing Championships. And Peng knew that, first thing on Sunday, he would be fencing against the epee fencers from the host Irish.

Peng admittedly starts slow and fences better as the day progresses. He said he hoped he would be able to maintain focus and fence with a high level of intensity. And he succeeded.

Against Notre Dame, and the rest of the field, Peng was nearly unstoppable. He won three 5-4 bouts in the final round of the tournament -- including the win that clinched the Lions' fourth consecutive national title. In each of those bouts, Peng had fallen behind. But each time he was able to pull out a victory.

For his efforts, Peng was named the tournament's Outstanding Fencer. Seven epee fencers finished with more victories. But when it counted most, Peng was at his best.

"Tom Peng didn't show the absolute best result," Lion coach Emmanuil Kaidanov said. "But his wins came at the absolute most important times."

During Peng's three-year career at Penn State, however, the big moments always seemed to come for him at the wrong times.

In 1996, Peng fenced his way to a fourth-place finish at the Mid-Atlantic/South Regional Championships. That finish qualified him for a trip to the NCAA Championships. But a week before NCAAs began, he was denied any chance of competing. Peng was involved in a car accident. He broke two ribs, and his hopes of helping his team to an NCAA title were finished.

But Peng rebounded and was again able to fence his way into the regional championships in his sophomore season. However, the 1997 regionals didn't treat Peng as well as they did the previous year. He missed qualifying for the NCAAs by two places.

Even though he was a part of the last two Lion championships, Peng said his early setbacks made this year's competition extra special for him.

"You have to be there to experience it," Peng said. "You're proud and everything (when other members of the team win a championship), but it doesn't compare. All the hard work and joy paid off."

Peng said the victory over Burrell was a dream come true. His only teammate on the floor at the time, sophomore foilsman Gang Lu, ran over to Peng and hoisted him into the air. In the distance, Peng saw his teammates, national champions again, in celebration. He then noticed the agony among the Notre Dame fencers. Forced to settle for yet another second-place finish, Peng said some of them broke down in tears.

"It wasn't a great feeling (when I saw Notre Dame's team)," Peng said. "But we knew we had beaten a great team."

When he and senior Claire Jackson were named team captains before the season, Peng said they agreed they didn't want to be the two captains that didn't win a national title. Thanks to his performance, Peng and Jackson won't wear that tag.

At that, Peng said, is his dream come true.