The Penn State men's and women's fencing teams will now have the services of one of the United States Olympic Committee's best coaches as Victor Svatenko has joined the Nittany Lion staff as an assistant coach.

Svatenko joins head coach Emmanuil Kaidanov and current assistants Wes Glon and David Ling, rounding out the staff of two of Penn State's most successful programs. The Penn State men's and women's fencing teams have combined to win nine NCAA national titles in the past 15 years.

Svatenko brings a distinguished background in fencing and modern pentathlon to Penn State.

A graduate of the University of Physical Culture in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Svatenko became the head fencing coach of the Republic of Kazakhstan's national team, serving in this position from 1977 through 1985. He coached elite athletes in foil and epee.

In 1982, the former U.S.S.R. Olympic Committee named him the Fencing Coach of the Year for the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Later, he became the Assistant Director of Sports Science for Kazakhstan and then the Director/Chief Administrator of the Sports Training Center for Elite Athletes.