WALTHAM, Mass., February 3, 2002 ¨C The Penn State men¡¯s and women¡¯s fencing teams, both ranked No. 3 in the nation, held their undefeated records intact with five more victories each today in dual meet action at Brandeis University. In addition to Brandeis, the Nittany Lions knocked off Brown, Harvard, Boston College, and MIT over the full day of fencing.
The 10 wins give head coach Emmanuil Kaidanov 506 career wins, moving him over the 500 career victory plateau. He joins Lady Lion basketball coach Rene Portland, who grabbed her 500th win as Lady Lion mentor on Sunday as well. Women's volleyball coach Russ Rose and men's cross country coach Harry Groves have also turned the trick.
The men¡¯s squad made an early statement, as it began the day with a 23-4 victory over Brown. The Lions then went on to top host Brandeis 20-7 before defeating Harvard 22-5. Despite three commanding victories, the Penn State men were able to keep their focus to record two more victories to close out the day. They pounded Boston College 25-2 and then finished with a 20-7 win over MIT.
Outstanding freshman Ian Sclaepfer (Rohnert Park, Calif.) had the most prolific day for the Lions, compiling a perfect 13-0 record in his bouts in the foil. Consistent sophomore Nonpatat Panchan (Bangkok, Thailand) also had a productive day with the foil, putting together a 12-2 mark for the day. Junior Wyatt Kasserman (Peapack, N.J.) went 14-1 to pace the Lions in the saber while senior captain Daniel Landgren (Bjuv, Sweden) and All-American sophomore Adam Wiercoch (Gliwice, Poland) both finished at 13-2 in the epee.
The women¡¯s team¡¯s results looked extremely similar to those of their male teammates. The Lady Lions also got off to a strong start with an impressive 22-5 win over Brown. They showed some real consistency with an identical 22-5 mark against Brandeis in the next match. The Penn State ladies moved on to defeat Harvard 20-7 and Boston College 24-3. After a grueling day of competition, the Lions found their toughest challenge against an upstart MIT team, but Penn State pulled it together for a 19-8 win.
The Lady Lions dominated in the epee behind the youth and experience combination of freshman Meredith Chin (Wynnewood, Pa.) and senior captain Stephanie Eim (Hendersonville, Tenn.), who went 11-0 and 10-0, respectively. Junior Jessica Burke (Upper Marlboro, N.J.) also made a solid contribution in the epee with a 10-1 mark of her own. All-American sophomore Marta Grochal (Poznan, Poland) made a huge step in her comeback from injury with a flawless 9-0 record today in the foil. All three of Penn State¡¯s saber competitors, Stephanie Tam (Coram, N.Y.), Meredith Steyer (Topsfield, Mass.), and Heather Brosnan (Portland, Ore.) each lost just two bouts for the day.
Longtime Penn State head coach Emmanuil Kaidanov was already looking toward the Lions¡¯ next dual meet immediately after today¡¯s action. ¡°Overall we had a pretty good day,¡± said Kaidanov. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to complain, but the biggest battle is still ahead of us.¡±
Both Penn State teams improved to 13-0 on the season with their five victories today. The Lions are off this coming weekend in preparation for the Junior Olympics on Feb. 15-18 in Columbus, Ohio.
