Fencers dominate 1st dual meet

Over the weekend, the Nittany and Lady Lions traveled to New Brunswick, N.J., to compete in their first dual meet of the season. The event was held at the College Avenue Gymnasium of Rutgers University.

Both the men and women dominated the competition, each defeating four different opponents, one right after another.

The men's team was especially strong, not letting any of its opponents get within eight points of a victory. The Lions began the day against their toughest opponent, Princeton, and beat them handily, 18-9. The next two matches produced the same results, as the fencers defeated both host Rutgers and New York University by the same 18-9 score. The Lions ended the long day of fencing by destroying North Carolina, 21-6.

In the epee, senior captain Daniel Langren struggled, finishing 7-5, while sophomore All-American Adam Wiercioch excelled, going 9-2 for the day.

Men's foil was led by Nonpatat Panchan, who was undefeated until he lost his final bout. Still, his three victories against NYU helped secure the match.

"We fenced well despite some injuries," Panchan said. "NYU men's foil is very strong, one of the best in the country, and we beat them."

For sophomore sabre star Alex Weber, his first experience at a dual meet was a great one. In his first year at Penn State, the German Olympian has already participated in numerous international tournaments, but the collegiate team competition is a completely new experience.

"I have never before experienced such a team atmosphere," Weber said. "In Germany, fencing is such an individual sport. Here we cheered for each other like you would at a football game."

Weber led all the men at Rutgers, going undefeated, 8-0.

Princeton's women's team is one of the rising forces in fencing, and the Lady Lions were almost defeated in their first bout of the day. However, the fencers managed to squeak out a victory, 14-13. The Lions proceeded to take out their frustrations on the rest of the competition, pounding both Rutgers and New York University 21-6, and then beating North Carolina, 23-4.

Captain Stephanie Eim led the way in the epee, going undefeated, 10-0. Former individual national champion Jessica Burke also fenced well, finishing 8-2.

Princeton did the most damage against Penn State's undermanned foil squad. With All-American Marta Grochal still out with an injury, Princeton dominated the foil, 7-2. Freshman Meredith Chin was the bright spot for the fencers, going 2-1 against Princeton, and 11-1 overall.

Penn State was clearly strongest in the sabre, with senior Stephanie Tam and sophomore Meredith Steyer both going 12-0. Though the Nittany and Lady Lions have been competing since September, this was the first series of team competitions. Previously, the team has participated in open tournaments, such as the Temple Open, and their own Garrett Penn State Open.

The dual meet season is very important for both the team and the individuals. The record that an individual fencer accumulates during the regular season determines whether or not they are eligible to compete in the regional championships, and ultimately the NCAA national championships.

It is critical that the team qualifies two fencers for every weapon at the NCAA's. Last season, the Nittany and Lady Lions qualified only 11 out of the 12 possible positions, and ultimately lost to St. John's.

Because this was the first dual meet of the season, the fencer's brought more team members than usual. The younger fencers were given the opportunity to gain some experience against stronger opponents. Head coach Emmanuil Kaidanov was very satisfied with his team's performance, and is confident about the rest of the season.

"Though other schools have gotten stronger, I think we have enough enthusiasm and desire to have a strong chance to stay on top," Kaidanov said.