State College, Pa. ¨C November 8, 2000 ¨C Three Penn State fencers competed at the NAC Junior/Cadet Open in Denver, Colo., over the weekend. Sophomore Wyatt Kasserman (Peapack, N.J.), freshman Nonpatat Panchan (Bangkok, Thailand) and freshman Heather Brosnan (Portland, Ore.) all took part in the world class tournament.

Kasserman faired well in pool play with the saber, but lost his first elimination bout and did not advance to the top 16. Freshman Panchan, however, had a much better tournament. The rookie in the foil placed second in the event, finishing behind a strong Canadian entry.

"Non¡¯s performance gives us much hope for the rest of the season," head coach Emmanuil Kaidanov. "He beat several strong foes on his way to his second place finish."

On the women¡¯s side, freshman Brosnan overcame sickness and near personal tragedy to place third in the saber behind two world champions. Brosnan¡¯s parents were both involved in the Singapore Airlines crash last week. Her father was injured, not critically, while her mother was unhurt.

Penn State hosts its annual Garret Penn State Open this weekend in the PSU White Building. The tournament begins Saturday at 8:30 a.m. and concludes Sunday afternoon.