The Penn State fencing team's season ended on Sunday as well as anyone on the team could have dreamed -- with an NCAA championship.

For senior captains Stephanie Eim and Daniel Landgren, the victory was a fitting end to spectacular careers.

The dramatic win exemplified what Penn State fencing is all about. Following last season's heartbreaking loss to St. John's at nationals, the team got back to work, led by their two captains.

"They were the cement that kept the fencers together in difficult moments," coach Emmanuil Kaidanov said of his captains.

The Nittany and Lady Lions stormed through the regular dual meet season, going 16-0 and 17-1, respectively, and earned matching No. 2 national rankings. By dominating the Mid-Atlantic/Southern regional competition, they qualified the maximum 12 fencers for NCAAs.

The Lions had to overcome an early deficit at the National Championship when the women were down by six points after the first two days of competition. The bright spot was Eim, who went a remarkable 23-0 in round-robin competition, becoming one of the only fencers ever to do so at the NCAA championships.

Eim had a spectacular regular season as well, going 41-1 in dual meets, and picking up the Garret Penn State Open epee title along the way. She finishes her career at Penn State as the most successful epee competitor in team history, with a 147-14 record and a 91.3% win percentage. She found her way to the podium at the NCAA championships four times, and is also one of the few Penn State athletes to be named a four-time All-American.

One of the only things Eim regrets is that she was never able to win an individual title. But the fact is, she did so much more for the team.

"Stephanie has such heart," Kaidanov said. "She competes so much stronger in the team competition."

That could explain why she went 23-0 with the team national championship on the line, but faltered in the final, when only her individual performance was at stake.

"Coach is right when he told me that I shouldn't look at my career as having come in second, third, third and second, but rather as a true champion who helped Penn State win three NCAA titles," Eim said.

Going into the second half of the NCAA tournament, Penn State saw itself in an unusual position -- trailing. The men's team had to overcome a deficit, something it wasn't used to doing.

"For the first time in my career at Penn State, the guys had to make up a deficit," Eim said. "It was a totally different position to be in."

But the men's team came through like never before. In one day of competition, the Nittany Lions turned a six-point deficit into a three-point lead. They never looked back, extending their lead into the final day, eventually winning the title by five points over St. John's.

The unusual thing was that they overcame the deficit without the help of their usually solid captain, Landgren. Landgren found huge success early in his career, when as a sophomore, he stormed into the NCAA tournament and won the individual epee title, leading Penn State to the team title as well.

He finished his career at Penn State as only the fifth epee to join the 100-win club, with a record of 106-32. He was a three-time All-American and was given an honorable mention this year.

But this season, Landgren has struggled. He has not found the success he has had in the past, but it is obvious that it's not due to lack of effort; Landgren is one of the hardest workers on the team.

During the season, Landgren even began working with a sports psychologist to work on his mental toughness.

"He has struggled, but he is a man, a guy with a lot of guts," Kaidanov said. "He uses hard work and determination to rise up when it really matters."

By the end of the season, it looked like Landgren had regained his past form. But at NCAAs, while his teammates flourished, he floundered.

"Usually I'm the one to win the close matches, but it didn't work out that way this time," he said. "I was feeling like I was letting myself down and the team down."

After talking with his teammates and coaches after the day of competition was over, Landgren realized that he needed to get himself together, and fence for the team. He improved the second day, and got some much-needed victories that secured the national title.

The tandem of Eim and Landgren worked very well together for the Lions over the years. In their four years on the team, Penn State won three national titles.

"We had the same goals and perspectives," Landgren said. "It was really easy to work with Stephanie."

Now, both Landgren and Eim face the new challenge of life after Penn State. Landgren will not graduate this May, but will stay enrolled and take a semester abroad while trying to find a job. He said that fencing will leave a void in his life.

"I definitely will miss fencing at Penn State," Landgren said. "I've been involved with fencing my entire life, and now they'll be a big hole to fill."

Eim's first priority is to find a job, and she wants to stay in the sports industry, in sports management or marketing.

But she won't rule out continuing her fencing career, possibly with the U.S. national team at the 2004 Olympics.

Eim has difficulty putting into words just how much her time at Penn State has meant to her.

"Penn State was able to teach me so much," she said. "It has been a place for me with the highest highs and the lowest lows, but a place I will always think of as my home away from home."