M. Fencing sends five to nat'ls

Tomorrow when the Penn men's fencers drive to Drew University for the NCAA Championships, they'll know the route well.

Two weekends ago, the Quakers sent nine fencers to the Mid-Atlantic/South Regionals, which were also held at Drew. They came away with five national qualifiers -- sophomore foilists Andy Radu and Jeff Breen, senior epees Jim Benson and Scott Eriksen and senior sabre Dan Vincent.

"I'm happy with [the number] of national qualifiers," Eriksen said. "In the past, we haven't had as many qualifiers.

"With this many people going, we have a better chance of boosting our overall national rank."

Eriksen finished 14th in the epee, while Benson placed sixth. Junior epees Dan Borden and Javier Garcia-Albea also competed, finishing 10th and 19th.

Benson was especially happy, having just missed nationals last year. The highlight of his day was a 5-2 decision over Princeton's Soren Thompson, the defending NCAA champion.

Thompson "was actually my last bout," Benson said. "It was a good way to end it."

In the sabre, Vincent finished fifth while teammate sophomore Chris Lvoff was 19th.

The foilists rounded out a solid team effort as freshman Steve Gavalas finished tenth, and Breen and Radu were first- and second-runners up to Penn State's Nonpatat Panchan, last year's second-ranked foilist in the nation.

Breen trumped Radu after defeating him, 5-3.

"We both did very well," Radu said. "To be two of the top three guys is a pretty big deal I think, especially since this is my first time at regionals."

With regionals over, the Quakers look to close out their season on a high note, but in the way will be a slate of impressive fencers.

"Nationals will be difficult," Eriksen said. "St. John's, Notre Dame, Ohio State -- there are some really good fencers out there that we haven't really seen.

"With nationals, it's always a meat grinder."

Nervous about his first trip to the NCAA championships, Radu echoed Eriksen.

"There's [Ozren] Debic in Notre Dame, and [Jon] Tiomkin from St. John's is always a threat," Radu said. "He's been around forever and he's always a dominant force.

"Other than that, it's anybody's game."

While Radu is a virtual neophyte, Eriksen is a weathered veteran. As a senior, the weekend at Drew is a chance to make a lasting statement on a national stage -- finishing in the top-12 to gain recognition as an All-American.

"To end out my Penn career I'd like to make All-American again," Eriksen said. "I made All-American my freshman year and last year.

"To do it again would be phenomenal. Three years out of four -- I'd be happy with that."

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