March 13, 2008
Columbus, Ohio -
Emmanuil Kaidanov and the women's fencers placed fifth after the first day of competition at the NCAA Fencing Championships on the campus of Ohio State on Thursday. The first four rounds of women's action took place on Thursday. For the championship, Penn State sits in fifth place , with 43 points, sitting 19 points behind Ohio State.
In women's saber action, sophomore Jessica Kim-Danh (Lando-O'-Lakes, Fla.) picked up a total of three victories for Penn State, finishing in 19th place in a field of 24 fencers in the division. She picked up a total of 44 touches in all of her 14 matchups. In the foil division, juniors Allison Glasser (Piedmont, Calif.) and Anne Jackson (Pittsburgh, Pa.) each had top ten finishes. Glasser tabbed 12 victories, making her good for fifth place. Jackson finished with eight victories, giving her a ninth place finish in the division.
The Nittany Lions' best play came from sophomores Keri Byerts (Webster, N.Y.) and Anastasia Ferdman (Maalot, Israel) in the epee division. Byerts tied Ewa Nelip of Notre Dame with 11 victories at the top of the division. However, Nelip had the +24 touch ratio compared to Byerts' +20, which placed her in second. Ferdman finished with nine victories, making her tied for fourth.
Tomorrow, women's competition will conclude with round robin rounds beginning at 9:30 a.m. At 2:30 p.m., the top four finishers from each division will participate in the Gold Medal Bouts. The two-day men's competition will kick off on Saturday, with the national champion being crowned on Sunday.
Penn State is looking to win their 11th championship, and its second consectutive crown after claiming last season's title. The championships will be taped, and highlights from the championship can be seen on Saturday May 3, at 1 p.m. on CBS.
