Men's Fencing set for first meet

The long preseason is finally over for the Penn men's fencing team.

The Quakers seem confident in their quest for an Ivy League title and refuse to rule out the possibility of national championship, too.

The Red and Blue, who finished last season ranked sixth in the nation, will compete in their first meet this weekend, the Temple Open in North Philadelphia.

Though the meet will feature individual competition only and doesn't count towards any team ranking, Penn coach Dave Micahnik stresses the great importance of the competition.

"It's a training event," Micahnik said. "You get tired of fencing each other week after week in practice, seeing the same few guys day in and day out. This meet finally lets you see where you stand against guys from other schools."

Junior foil fencer Andrew Radu also stresses the importance of the event.

"This event lets you test the waters," he said. "It's a rude awakening for people who haven't been training in the off-season."

Radu tied for the bronze medal at last year's Open with Penn State's Joseph Brown and was the only member of the squad to win a medal. This year he has his sights set on the top prize.

"I'd like to win it all, and I think I can, but I have a lot of competition, especially my teammate, Jeff Breen," he said. "Hopefully the final will be between me and him."

The entire Penn squad will not be attending the meet this weekend.

"Only if someone wants to go and has been training properly, I'll take him," Micahnik said.

Each weapon will be bringing four fencers.

The foil squad will consist of juniors Breen and Radu, sophomore Stephen Gavalas and freshman Jonathan Press.

Senior Daniel Borden, sophomore Chungxing Mah, and freshmen Ari Paul and Michael Sanders will represent the epee team.

The sabre team will feature senior Jit Fong Oon, junior Christopher Lvoff, and freshmen Mark Kindrachuk and William Caulin.

The foil team, like last season, will be the heart of the Quakers' lineup this year and could end up being the best foil squad in the nation.

"I definitely think we're the best," Radu said.

Leading the way during the season for Penn's foils will be senior captain Yale Cohen who reached the final four at the Intercollegiate Fencing Association Championships last year and was named to the All-Ivy League team.

Cohen, however, will not attend the Temple Open.

Although the IFA champion foil team returns its top four men, the other weapons are not as experienced, making this the first meet for many to face the top college competition.

"Our biggest weakness is our lack of experience," Radu said. "It gives us a new outlook with new faces, new leadership, and new attitude.

"Sometimes it's better not to know the competition so well. It makes the opponent uneasy and gives us a lot of confidence."

Although expectations remain high, Penn will have to suspend these feelings of comradarie for the time being and face off against each other for the weekend.

"It's a little more difficult when you really like your opponent," Radu said. "You just hope that the final few guys are all on your team. It makes it a lot easier."

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