STATE COLLEGE, Pa., April 1, 2003 The Penn State fencing team announced its 2003-2004 team captains and honored its most valuable and most improved team members at the annual banquet held last weekend. The event capped off a remarkable season that saw the Nittany Lions finish as national runners-up to Notre Dame, despite competing one fencer down at the National Championships.

The men¨ªs team selected junior Nonpatat Panchan (Bangkok, Thailand) as its captain for the 2003-2004 campaign. Panchan recently won his second consecutive National Title in the men¨ªs foil to go along with the Regional Title he earned just weeks earlier. In his three years with the Nittany Lions, he has accumulated two Gold Medals and a Silver Medal at the National Championships.

The women¨ªs squad chose junior Meredith Steyer (Topsfield, Mass.) and sophomore Meredith Chin (Wynnewood, Pa.) as its co-captains for the upcoming season. Steyer served as an alternate in the women¨ªs saber at the recent National Championships and went 29-15 during the dual meet season. Chin posted a 15th place finish in the women¨ªs foil at the Championships. She also finished fourth at Regionals and went 35-8 during the regular season.

Alex Weber (Frieburg, Germany) and Katarzyna Trzopek (Warsaw, Poland) were named Most Valuable Fencer for their respective teams. Weber, who served as team captain all season, completed the dual meet season with an unblemished 23-0 record in the men¨ªs saber. After two seasons with the Nittany Lions, his dual meet record currently stands at an amazing 43-1. Weber, a junior, claimed fourth place at the National Championships for the second-straight time, scoring 19 points for Penn State in the process. He also claimed the Mid-Atlantic/South Regional Title this season.

Trzopek put the finishing touches on an astounding freshman campaign by winning the women¨ªs epee National Title in her first try. Trzopek scored 19 points for Penn State at the Championships, winning 21 of her 25 bouts, including a victory over teammate Jessica Burke (Upper Marlboro, N.J.) in the Gold Medal bout. She finished the dual meet season with 44 wins compared to only three losses.

Sophomore Ethan Muri (Altoona, Pa.) and Steyer were distinguished as Most Improved Fencer for their respective squads. In his second season with the Nittany Lions, Muri just missed qualifying for the Championships. However, his sixth place finish at Regionals allowed him to serve as an alternate in the men¨ªs epee. He posted a 19-13 record through the dual meet season. As previously mentioned, Steyer served as an alternate in the women¨ªs saber for the second consecutive season.