W. Fencing slices through tough field

Change isn't always easy. But the Penn women's sabre squad proved it can handle change -- and just about anything else that comes its way -- on Saturday at the Penn State Invitational. In their first real challenge of the season, the Quakers took on Stanford, Ohio State, Duke and perennial powerhouse St. John's in a round-robin tournament. While the Red and Blue dropped a 20-7 decision to the Red Storm, they beat both the Blue Devils and the Buckeyes and came within one point of defeating a strong Stanford team. The Quakers' success was largely due to stellar performances from the sabre squad. Sophomore Christina Verigan compiled an impressive 10-2 record on the day, as Penn's sabre squad went a combined 21-6 against Ohio State, Duke and Stanford. "Christina really carried us as a squad, as a team," team co-captain and fellow sabre Mindy Nguyen said. "She just switched from foil to sabre last season, and she really took sabre to the next level." For Verigan, the meet was a nice turnaround from last year. There was a bit of an adjustment period, as the sabre was just inaugurated into women's competition last season. "Lots of times last year it was harder for [the sabre squad] to pull our weight," Verigan said. "But this weekend, we definitely held our weight. [Saturday] showed that we can fence with anyone and hold our own." In the first match of the day, the Quakers and Cardinals went down to the wire. The Penn epee squad -- led by sophomore Kim Linton, who won all three of her bouts -- beat Stanford, 6-3. However, the Stanford foil team, which had two national team members competing, was just too tough for the Quakers. The Cardinals' foilists won all nine of their bouts, to seal a one-bout victory. "Stanford is a very good team," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "I'm not upset that we didn't beat them. I'm upset that we came so close and didn't beat them. When you come so close, you really want it." According to Nguyen, the one-point loss to Stanford made the Quakers "take a better attitude," which was evident in their strong showings against Duke and Ohio State. Penn bested the Blue Devils, 16-11, and trounced the Buckeyes, 20-7. The Red Storm, however, had too much firepower for the Quakers. "I was hoping for no less than a split, and we got that and came within one point of defeating Stanford, so I can't complain," Micahnik said. "It was a good growing experience."

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