Last Wednesday, Penn State senior David Lidow made the comment that if the Nittany Lions were to beat Notre Dame, they would have to jump out in front early.

"They have a lot of heart, and they are a momentum team. We can't let them have that," said Lidow, a two-time All-American in the foil division.

A packed house, Lion mascot and all, turned out to see Lidow's necessities bashed.

The Fighting Irish slashed their way to a 10-0 lead, as the Penn State men's fencing squad dropped eight out of the first nine matches in the saber division to start things off.

It looked as if the Irish would run away with the meet until Lidow and junior Gang Lu changed the tide. Lu went undefeated in his three foil matches. Lidow posted a 2-1 record in his three bouts.

"It took team spirit to get us to work together," said Lu. "We knew we had a disadvantage with the injuries to our saber team. So the foil and epee teams just had to work harder."

The hard work paid off somewhat for the Lions, as they were able to beat Duke (19-8) and Haverford (24-3) but fell short to Stanford 14-13 in a heartbreaker.

Meanwhile, Penn State's women's team went a perfect 3-0 on the day, knocking off Notre Dame (23-9), Duke (26-6), Stanford (21-10) and Haverford (28-1).

The men's team was forced to compete without its top saber handler. 1998 All-American Mike Takagi still was recuperating from a knee operation he had in December. Takagi fenced in Penn State's match with Duke, but was forced to sit out the team's bout with the Irish.

Takagi was not the only injured Lion to make an effort to compete, as junior Don McGill fenced with one foot. McGill's ankle was so swollen that he could hardly move his foot, but he managed to secure two victories.

"Donnie played such a great role," said Lu. "He was really hurting, but managed to stay close with his opponents and win his bouts."

The two fencing powerhouses were tied at 13 as the last match came around. It pitted Notre Dame's Tom Casas against Penn State sophomore Brendan Baby in a foil bout, and Baby came through, 5-1, propelling the Lions to a 14-13 win.

"I was a little nervous going into it, with the crowd and all," Baby said.

Stanford coach Zoran Tulum was pleased with his team's 14-13 win over Penn State, but was still wary of the host.

"We have lost to them a few times," said Tulum. "I believe Penn State is still the team to beat at the NCAA Championships."

After coming in with what also seemed a large task at hand, Penn State's women's team may have also emerged as the team to beat at NCAAs. It came in ranked No. 2 behind the Lady Irish, but its showdown turned into more of a blowout. Sophomore All-American Charlotte Walker had a solid performance, as she and the Lady Lions cruised to a 23-9 victory, one of four for the women's team.

"We know Mutilli, Monica, and Crole (three Notre Dame fencers) well," said sophomore Ola Korfanty. "We have fought them before, and we know each other well. That helped us a lot."

Penn State coach Emmanuil Kaidanov was optimistic about the weekend events.

"It is the middle of the season and our preparation is all right," said Kaidanov. "My biggest concern is getting over our injuries and being healthy for regionals. We lost to a very worthy opponent in Stanford, and likewise, we beat a good one in Notre Dame. And at the same time, the women were excellent in their performances."