With three of the four days completed at the Junior Olympics at the Cleveland Convention Center, freshmen Ian Farr and Sophia Hiss proved to be the biggest highlights for the Penn State fencing team.

Both Hiss and Farr made it to the final round and wound up in the top 10. Hiss' fifth-place finish matched the top placement in national tournaments for Penn State women's fencing this season. Farr earned sixth-place and the highest result in a national tournament for the men's team.

Hiss, who has been fencing with the saber weapon the past few dual meets, placed highest of all Nittany Lions in the women's foil. It was the second time in four national tournaments that Hiss has finished in the top-16.

Farr made it to the finals but lost to the eventual third-place finisher in saber. He was sixth in the tournament that had 159 saber fencers. It was his second top-10 effort in four national tournaments this season.

"I was satisfied but I know that I could have done a little better," Farr said. "The competition wasn't tremendously strong."

Also competing in women's foil was freshman Tamara Najm. She finished 24th.

Two women's saber fencers, freshmen Laura Hillstrom and Jen Paulson, went against 106 other women in this event. Hillstrom wound up in 18th place and Paulson ended up at 33.

Evan Weisfeld and Nevin King, both freshmen epee fencers, failed to make the top-32.

"We had two make it to the finals so it was good," Penn State coach Emmanuil Kaidanov said. "We have two more events [today] so we will see how our fencers will do."

Competition ends today as the women's epee and the men's foil events cap off the four-day tournament. Freshmen Case Szarwark, Kim Gerriets and junior Andrea Wine will compete in the women's epee. Freshman Ian Hamilton is competing in the men's foil.

Szarwark will be going for her second top-16 finish this season.