SOUTH BEND, Ind., February 1, 2003 The No. 1 Lady Lion fencers won all six of their dual meets, including three against top-ten opponents, and the No. 1 Nittany Lions prevailed in all but one contest today at the Notre Dame Duals. With the undefeated outing, the women¡¯s squad improved to a perfect 13-0 for the season, while the men moved to 11-1 after today¡¯s event.

The men¡¯s team began the full day of dual meets with a dominant 24-3 victory over Wayne State. The Nittany Lions then battled No. 2 Notre Dame in the most anticipated showdown of the day. Notre Dame earned crucial points in the saber and epee to defeat Penn State 15-12 in a very competitive contest. Following the setback, the Nittany Lions defeated Air Force 16-11 before engaging in another important match-up between top-five teams. This time Penn State took out its frustration on No. 4 Ohio State, pounding the Buckeyes 22-5. In the sixth and final meet of the day, Penn State defeated CSU-Fullerton 18-9.

In the men¡¯s foil, the Nittany Lions were led by last year¡¯s National Champion Nonpatat Panchan (Bangkok, Thailand) and sensational newcomer Chris Miller (Salina, Kan.), who went 12-2 and 11-3, respectively. In the epee, sophomore Ethan Muri (Altoona, Pa.) posted a 10-5 mark, while two-time All-American Adam Wiercioch (Gliwice, Poland) added a 9-4 performance. Freshman Marten Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.) continued his veteran-like play in the saber, recording 13 wins and only two losses, while All-American Amir Rahimi (Plano, Tex.) chipped in with a 9-4 record for the day.

The Lady Lions opened up the day with a 21-6 win over Wayne State before recording a big 17-10 victory over No. 7 Northwestern. Penn State then faced off against No. 2 Notre Dame in another showdown between national powers. The Lady Lions looked extremely sharp in the hard-fought contest, posting a 16-11 victory to maintain its hold on the No. 1 spot in the polls. Penn State remained focused following the emotional win, topping Air Force 23-4 before posting a convincing 20-7 victory over No. 4 Ohio State. The Lady Lions concluded the taxing day with a 21-6 win over CSU-Fullerton.

Katarzyna Trzopek (Warsaw, Poland) once again led the Lady Lions in the women¡¯s epee, going undefeated for the day with 14 wins. The phenomenal freshman has now won 24 of her last 25 individual bouts, a streak that spans 10 duals. Jessica Burke (Upper Marlboro, N.J.), the 2000 National Champion, also had a solid outing in the epee, finishing at 15-2 for the day. In the women¡¯s saber, two-time All-American junior Heather Brosnan (Portland, Ore.) went 15-2 while senior Austin O¡¯Neill (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) recorded 10 wins and six losses. Meredith Chin (Wynnewood, Pa.) paced the Lady Lions in the foil with an 8-3 mark for the day.

Penn State will next compete at the Junior Olympics in Colorado Springs, Colo., beginning on Feb. 14 and continuing through Feb. 17.