He's a man of few words, and doesn't care whether you call him Mike or Michael, he's pretty indifferent.

Penn State fencing captain Mike Takagi shows a shy side to those who don't know him that well. But the senior saber fencer and two-time All-American opens up after just a few minutes of conversation.

"His finest qualities are his approachability and friendly qualities," co-captain Charlotte Walker said. "He's the glue that sticks everything together."

Takagi was a good fit for captain. This wasn't a coach's decision. The team picks their man for the job. That man was Mike Takagi.

"I was flattered they felt I could do the job," Takagi said.

He doesn't want to imagine this grand position as team captain. He calls himself an intermediary. The best example of that was the practice week just before the big showdowns with Stanford and St. John's last month.

"The squad captains brought their concerns to the meeting," Takagi said. "We discussed it with coach (Emmanuil Kaidanov)."

Now, the team has practiced for an extra 30 minutes for three weeks.

Takagi is pretty mum on himself, but his teammates cause long conversation.

He speaks in glowing terms about Amir Rahimi's adjustment to the collegiate fencing game, or Noah Jacobson's remarkable strides, or Matthew Gillig's intense work habits. All three are squad teammates in saber.

At 12-8, 72-47 career, Takagi is enjoying his last few weeks of the season. It could have turned out much differently. The first two seasons of Takagi's career, he was hampered by injury after injury.

"I'm more careful about making sure I'm stretched," Takagi said. "I trained with a trainer three times a week."

Takagi's muscle strength increased, the injury numbers decreased, and he's been healthy and solid for two years.

"Sometimes, we pay attention to the flashy guys," Kaidanov said. "Guys like (Takagi) are the bones of the team. He's the skeleton."

Takagi keeps it all together.

Interviewing teammates is like asking questions to a broken record player.

"He's one of the nicest guys I ever met," saber fencer Michael Stahlhut said. "He has a great sense of humor and works really hard. He's a second family to me."

Stahlhut has known Takagi since age two. They fenced together in clubs and Stahlhut followed Takagi to Penn State.

"He's one of the calmest, nicest, and most reliable teammates here at Penn State," teammate Stephanie Eim said. "However, on the strip, he sure knows how to fight."

"He's very patient and calm in tight situations," Walker said. "He's never panicking and a really well-liked person."

After four years, Takagi must have some kind of worry in the world. It's not returning to All-American status.

"If there's anyone on the team who's less interested in individual honors, it would be Mike," Walker said.

Takagi has his sights set on another team National Championship.

"On a team with such a legacy, you definitely don't want to be the team that loses," Takagi said. "If everyone fences to their capabilities, we will win again in our most difficult year."

What will the man of few words after going to the tournament?

"Every time I go to NCAAs, I lose my voice," Takagi said. "And I return hoarse."