After letting the national title slip away from them last season, the Penn State men's and women's fencing teams are determined to reclaim the title.

Though the team is just two competitions away from the NCAA championships, it needs to maintain a competitive level of performance to get ahead in the coming weeks.

Sophomore foil fencer, Anne Jackson, said that the team is trying to get as many people qualified for regionals as possible.

The fencers will wind up the regular season with their last dual meet beginning at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Northwestern University.

The men and women will compete against Notre Dame, Washington State, Johns Hopkins, and Colorado State. The women will also compete against Northwestern, which does not have a men's squad.

The top four fencers from each weapon will attend the competition.

Several fencers, including undefeated freshman Doris Willette, will not attend this weekend's competition due to injuries.

Willette, who will be one of the top competitors at regionals, will only compete at regionals if the condition of her back improves.

This weekend's dual meet is crucial for the team, especially for the fencers who are on the cusp of qualifying for regionals.

The make-or-break meet will give fencers that have already qualified a chance to increase their seed.

The pressure is especially felt during the last meet because top seeded fencers can drop in the rankings if they do not perform well.

"I'm just trying make my record better and spend a whole day fencing," Jackson said. "I want to be able to keep my cool and not get frustrated or flustered by other teams or officials."

Jackson said the team's outlook at this point in the season seems "better and more positive" than it did at this time last year.

"People are still dragging their feet a little this year, but not to the extent that it was last year," Jackson said. "By the end of last season, everyone was sick of being at practice and had other things to do, but this year people are a lot more focused on the end goal.

Jackson said the team is confident it can earn the national title this year and that's the kind of attitude that affects "everyone's spirits and keeps them going."