The Nittany Lion boxing team will unveil a new weapon at the PSU open this weekend. Fighter Christina Swasey will compete in her first bout since joining the team last season.

Swasey will square off against Shippensburg's Danielle Paulovich at 125 pounds and is pumped up about finally getting in the ring.

"I'm really excited. I've been on the team since last year, and I've just been waiting for a chance to fight," she said. "I am pretty optimistic about the fight, I have no doubts."

Penn State's history of women fighters is a proud one. Female boxers are 11-1 all-time and in 1998, Lion boxer Christy Wilcox became the first ever National Collegiate Boxing Association female champion.

During her stint on the team, Wilcox faced the same problems Swasey has, lack of competition. During the 2000-2001 season, there were no female boxers in Swasey's weight class but this weekend's fight will qualify her for the regional championships in March.

Swasey said that even though her participation on the team has been limited to only practicing, she doesn't feel like she is the girl on the team. It will feel good, she said, to finally get in the ring for an official fight.

The matches on Saturday will include fighters from five different schools and feature eight boxers from Penn State. Among those seeing action will be Alex Komlev, Nathan Labuda, Miles Rivas and Luke Runion.

Both Runion and Komlev are participating in rematches of earlier fights this year. Komlev looks to defeat Navy's Rick Weil for the second time after dropping him in November at 156 pounds, while Runion looks to avenge a 2-1 loss to Jeff Watkins of Navy. Runion will focus on staying busy to keep Watkins from tying him up.

Rivas is battling a new fighter from Mansfield at 165 pounds, Victor Swen. To pick up the win, Rivas has to stick to boxing to offset the athletic talents of the Swen, who also plays football. The second-year fighter is looking forward to performing before a supportive crowd.

"I am definitely excited," Rivas said. "When you are in there you can hear the crowd noise and it fires you up."

Labuda has a tough draw, facing Bobby Villanueva of Navy who advanced to nationals last year. According to Penn State coach Bill Wrable, Labuda is going to have to be on if he is to beat the slick Villanueva.

Other Lions participating are Jim Neely, Paul Falco and Matt Haley. Wrable hopes fans come out to support the team this weekend and see the fighters in their last home match of the season.

"I really want to pack the place," Wrable said. "We hope people come out to see us because they will really enjoy themselves."

Tickets are $2 with a Penn State student ID, and $4 otherwise. The opening bell rings at 7:00 pm at the main gym of the White Building.