George Abashidze Position: Assistant Coach Year: 3rd Season

3rd year at Penn State

George Abashidze is in his third year at Penn State and brings a long list of collegiate and international coaching experience with him as he looks to help guide the Nittany Lions to another NCAA crown.

A former member of the USSR's National Foil Team, Abashidze's team competed in numerous international tournaments and he won his nation's foil crown as an athlete. Before coming to the United States, George coached the Georgian National Team.

Abashidze came to the United States and coached club fencing in Portland, Ore. before taking an assistant coach position at Ohio State. While in Columbus, Abashidze helped Ohio State's foilists win five NCAA individual titles.

Among his athletes were Olympians Monica DeBruin and Hanne Thompson, a teammate of Penn State's Doris Willette on the U.S. women's foil team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. That team won the Silver Medal.

Abashidze and his wife Iya have three children (Guram,who fenced at Penn State; Anna and Sophie). The Abashidze's reside in State College.