STATE COLLEGE, Pa., March 5, 2002 - The Penn State men's and women's fencing teams will travel to Philadelphia this weekend to compete in Saturday's NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regionals, which will determine the individuals who will advance to the NCAA Championships to vie for individual and team national titles. On top of the list of goals for the Nittany Lions is qualifying 12 players for the NCAA finals, the maximum number each team can send to the competition.
Penn State heads into the post-season after putting together another impressive march through its dual meet schedule. The men's squad, currently ranked No. 3 in the nation by the United States Fencing Coaches Association, recently sealed up its first undefeated season since 1997, finishing with a 16-0 dual meet record. They are coming off a superb showing in their final duals of the year, when they upset No. 2 St. John's, the defending National Champions, and registered decisive victories over No. 4 Columbia and No. 7 Pennsylvania. The Nittany Lions are led in the epee by senior captain and three-time All-American Daniel Landren (Bjuv, Sweden) and All-American sophomore Adam Wiercioch (Gliwice, Poland), who have posted individual bout records of 33-14 and 38-8, respectively. Wiercioch also claimed the epee title at the NAC Open earlier this year. Penn State has been extremely strong in the foil behind the efforts of All-American sophomore Nonpatat Panchan (Bangkok, Thailand) and freshman sensation Ian Schlaepfer (Rohnert Park, Calif.), who have put together marks of 35-5 and 35-3, respectively. Schlaepfer has stormed onto the collegiate scene this season, winning third place in the junior bracket of the NAC Open and taking the bronze at the recent Junior Olympics. He is currently riding a 21-bout winning streak in dual meets and has not lost since Jan. 26. In the saber, the Lions have been paced by two more sophomores, All-American Mohaymen Rahimi (Plano, Texas) and Olympic Medalist Alexander Weber (Frieburg, Germany). Rahimi currently sports a 29-7 bout record while Weber has gone 20-1 while battling injuries all season. The Lady Lions have not been outdone by their male teammates by any stretch of the imagination. The women, currently ranked No. 2 in the nation, completed their dual meet season with a 17-1 standing, with their only setback coming to No. 1 St. John's. They also put together a strong performance in the final dual meet of the season. Despite the tough loss to St. John's to open the day, the Lady Lions roared back to record convincing wins over No. 9 Columbia-Barnard, No. 10 Pennsylvania, and No. 8 Temple. The Penn State women have been nearly unbeatable in the epee behind the dominant play of senior captain and three-time All-American Stephanie Eim (Hendersonville, Tenn.) and junior Jessica Burke (Upper Marlboro, N.J.). Burke has compiled a 37-7 mark in dual meet bouts while Eim has posted a remarkable 41-1 record. Eim has won her last 26 bouts and has not lost since her only loss of the season on Jan. 26. She also claimed the epee titles at the NAC Open and at Penn State's Garret Open earlier this season. In the foil, freshman Meredith Chin (Wynnewood, Pa.) and All-American sophomore Marta Grochal (Poznan, Poland) have been the stars for the Lady Lions. Chin has put together a 38-9 record while Grochal has fought her way through injuries to a 27-5 standing. Chin finished in 12th place in both the epee and the foil at the recent Junior Olympics. In the saber, the women have been paced by emerging sophomore Meredith Steyer (Topsfield, Mass.) and two-time All-American senior Stephanie Tam (Coram, N.Y.). The two have gone step for step all season and they now sport similar records of 35-8 and 37-8, respectively. Highly respected head coach Emmanuil Kaidanov surpassed the 500-career wins mark earlier this season and his career coaching record now stands at an amazing 513-36-1. When asked about the upcoming Regionals, Kaidanov said, "We really want to get everyone healthy by then. If we get healthy, we have no excuse to not perform our best."
|
|