W. Fencing blitzes through weekend

Freshmen on the Penn women's fencing team started off their Penn career's like seasoned veterans as they starred at the Penn State Multi-meet. The No. 10 Quakers dominated their competition this past weekend in University Park, Pa., cutting up Hunter by a margin of 24-3, North Carolina, 23-4, Duke, 19-8 and Stanford, 15-12. "All the new freshmen are really very positive additions to the team," sophomore foil Emmanuelle Humblet said. "They will help jumpstart the season." The first competition of the year was accented by almost flawless Quaker performances across the board. The younger athletes on the team recognized the importance of the Quakers' team spirit in sweeping the oppposition. "It was pretty cool to have people cheering you on," freshman epee Jean Goto said. "The atmosphere really helped. This was very new." With their teammates rooting them on, Goto went 8-2, freshman Livia Rurarz-Huygens epee went 8-1 and freshman foil Christina Kaneshige 7-2, losing her only two matches to the nationally ranked No. 1 and No. 2 foils of Stanford. Rurarz-Hygens, who was apprehensive going into her first collegiate meet, attributes her strong showing to good coaching and support. "I was a little nervous," she said. "I started losing the first bout, but [Penn captain Kimberly Linton] called timeout and talked to me. It sailed from there." As the team steamrolled over the somewhat-challenging Blue Devils, Tar Heels and Hawks, their skills were enough to lift them past their opponents. Morale may have had a more pivotal role when the Quakers faced off against the Cardinal, however -- the Red and Blue edged Stanford by a closer 15-12 margin. In negotiating the Cardinal, Penn had to circumnavigate the top two foilists in the nation. To compensate Stanford's advantage strength, the epees stepped up with a 8-for-9 effort, allowing the Quakers to squeak by with a tight victory. This close and difficult competition could prove helpful for the upcoming weekend, when Penn will face Ivy rivals Yale and Harvard, both of which traditionally sport formidable squads. But the spirit of last weekend carries on and can carry the Red and Blue to their season goal -- the Ivy League crown. "I think we can win on momentum," Linton said. "If we are all pumped, we can go over the edge."

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