MADISON, N.J., March 10, 2002 ¨C The No. 3 Penn State men¡¯s fencing team and the No. 2 women¡¯s squad each qualified the maximum number of six competitors for the upcoming NCAA Championships yesterday at the Mid-Atlantic/South Regionals held at Drew University. In addition to the 12 Championship qualifiers, the Nittany Lions also managed to qualify five out of a possible six alternates to back up the starters if necessary. These 17 fencers earned a chance to battle the best players in the nation as they vie for team and individual national titles.

In the men¡¯s foil, sophomore Nonpatat Panchan (Bangkok, Thailand) and freshman Ian Schlaepfer (Rohnert Park, Calif.) capped off stellar regular seasons with strong performances, as both fencers earned trips to the NCAAs. Panchan also took first place overall in the process. Sophomore Joe Brown (Herndon, Va.) saw relatively little action during the regular season, but he peaked at the right time to notch a spot as an alternate.

In the men¡¯s saber, the Lions recorded a clean sweep as Alex Weber (Frieburg, Germany), Wyatt Kasserman (Peapack, N.J.), and Amir Rahimi (Plano, Texas) took first, second, and third place, respectively. Weber and Rahimi wound up qualifying for the Championships, while Kasserman accepted the alternate position. Rahimi earned the starting spot over Kasserman as a result of points earned during the season.

In the men¡¯s epee, senior captain Daniel Landgren (Bjuv, Sweden) and All-American sophomore Adam Wiercioch (Gliwice, Poland) fulfilled their leadership roles, qualifying for the NCAAs as starters. Despite competing in only 13 bouts during the regular season, freshman Ryan Wangner (Garden City, N.Y.) came out of nowhere to take a spot as an alternate.

In the women¡¯s foil, freshman phenomenon Meredith Chin (Wynnewood, Pa.) and All-American sophomore Marta Grochal (Poznan, Poland) finished in first and second place, respectively, on their way to NCAA Championships invitations. Walk-on Freshman Rachel Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa.) put together a solid effort to earn a position as an alternate.

In the women¡¯s saber, Heather Brosnan (Portland, Ore.) completed her recovery from injury to earn a trip to the NCAAs. Stephanie Tam (Coram, N.Y) will join her as a starter for the Lady Lions. They will be backed up by Meredith Steyer (Topsfield, Mass.), who will fill the alternate position.

In the women¡¯s epee, dominating team leaders Stephanie Eim (Hendersonville, Tenn.) and Jessica Burke (Upper Marlboro, N.J.) both notched invitations to the Championships. The women¡¯s epee was the only weapon in which Penn State did not qualify an alternate in addition to two starters.

Penn State¡¯s veteran head coach Emmanuil Kaidanov was very pleased with his team¡¯s effort at the Regional Qualifier. ¡°It was a good performance,¡± said Kaidanov. ¡°I am quite happy with it.¡±

The Nittany Lions will have a couple weeks of rest and final preparations before returning to Drew University on March 21 for the NCAA Championships. Penn State will be fighting for its seventh national title in the last eight years after settling for runner-up last season. The Championships will conclude on March 24.