Fencing in the News

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Fencing Posts Impressive Debut at North American Cup
James Williams Takes First in Men's Sabre[/b][/color]
Columbia University Athletics
New York, NY, USA
Jan. 17, 2006

gocolumbialions.collegesports.com/sports/c-fenc/recaps/011706aab.html

HOUSTON, Texas - Co-captain James Williams placed first in men's sabre and the women's team earned three top-20 finishes at the same weapon as Columbia posted a number of outstanding performances in the team's first competition of the season.

The impressive first-place finish by Williams was not the only noteworthy performance in men's sabre for Columbia. Close behind Williams was fellow junior Alex Krul, who finished 10th, improving on his 19th-place finish last year. Sophomore Alex Diacou also had a strong showing, finishing 32nd in the senior competition.

In women's sabre, the Lions placed Emma Baratta (3rd), Emily Jacobson (8th) and Daria Schneider (18th) within the top 20 in the event. Both Baratta, who finished 13th last year, and Jacobson, who placed 11th, each improved on last year's performance. Schneider, a first-year, had an impressive showing in her first collegiate competition, as she also placed seventh in the junior competition. Also in the top 20 in junior women's sabre was sophomore Danielle Gordet, who finished 18th and 48th in the senior competition, while co-captain Christian Robinson finished 63rd.

First-year Dwight Smith added to the string of solid collegiate debuts, finishing sixth in junior men's epee and 36th in the senior competition. Fellow first-year Max Czapanskiy was 24th in junior epee and classmate Lorenzo Casertano finished 35th in the junior competition.

In women's epee, Columbians near and far topped the junior standings. Morgan Midgley finished second after placing 12th last year and Alexie Rubin, studying abroad in Paris, France this year, finished third in junior epee. First-year Oriana Isaacson placed 32nd in junior epee and 36th in the senior competition.

Junior Scott Sugimoto gave Columbia another top-20 performance in men's foil, finishing 19th overall, improving on his 24th-place result last year. First-year Sherif Farrag finished 57th overall and Lorenzo Casertano, in his second competition of the weekend, placed 43rd in junior foil.

First-year Kelsey Finkel paced the Lions in women's foil, finishing 17th in the junior competition and 25th in senior foil. Kathleen Reckling placed 36th in the senior division, while first-year Samantha Giordano finished 36th in junior foil and sophomore Magda Losonczy finished 47th in the same competition.

Columbia will return to competition on Sunday, January 22 at the NYU Duals, where the Lions will face off against Notre Dame, Ohio State, Wayne State and Northwestern (women only). Competition is set to begin at 7:30 a.m.

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C'wealth championship from Jan. 24
The Hindu
Chennai, India
Jan. 17, 2006

www.hindu.com/2006/01/17/stories/2006011702332000.htm

CHENNAI: The inaugural Commonwealth junior (under-20) fencing championship will be held at the Nehru Indoor Stadium here from January 24 to 29. Two hundred and twenty four participants from nine countries are expected for the event.

T.K. Balu, Director, Co-ordination, said on Monday that India is fielding two teams — A and B — in the championship. "The Commonwealth Fencing Federation has allowed India to field two teams," he said.

Australia, England, Malaysia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Singapore and Wales are the other countries in the fray.

Henry John Ramsay, Chairman, Technical Commission, Commonwealth Fencing Federation, said he was impressed with the preparations and hoped that the tournament would help unearth young local talents.

R.J. Ruban, President, Tamil Nadu Fencing Association, said the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) has bought equipment worth Rs. 50 lakhs for the championship.

W.I. Davaram, Vice-President, SDAT, said, "it's possible for us (India) to get medals in the championship."

Balu said, "we look forward to extensive support from the Tamil Nadu Government and other sponsors."

The overall trophy — India Trophy — is sponsored by SDAT. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalithaa, will inaugurate the event.

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Nemecek continues torrid run with 2nd-place finish in Houston
by Patrick Dorsey
Daily Northwestern
Evanston, IL, USA
January 17, 2006

www.dailynorthwestern.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/01/17/43cc834b4de50

She came to Northwestern as one of the country’s top fencers. Just a few meets into the season, Sam Nemecek is proving to be as good as advertised.


Nemecek

Nemecek notched a second-place finish in the 108-deep junior foil competition at the United States Fencing Association North America Cup in Houston on Saturday.

It was yet another top-two finish this season for the nation’s No. 2 junior foilist. Nemecek finished first at NU’s Remenyik Open in October and took second at the Junior/Cadet World Cup Championships in Alburquerque, N.M., in November.

Joining Nemecek in Houston were five NU sabre fencers and three in the epee division. In Friday’s Division I sabre competition, junior Sophie Eustis finished 61st, sophomore Gina Annunziato took 72nd, freshman Adrienne Shon finished 75th, junior Mai Vu took 77th and senior Emily Pasternak finished 80th.

Freshman Megan Ross was the Wildcats’ top finisher in the junior women’s epee, finishing 21st. Freshman Kellie Fry took 52nd and sophomore Gaby Aiuto finished 61st.

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Penn State Fencing Teams Earn High Rankings in First USFCA Coaches Poll
Women ranked second and men ranked third[/b][/color]
GoPSUsports.com
State College, Pa.
January 18, 2006

www.gopsusports.com/pressreleases/pressrelease.cfm?anncid=9342&spID=6

The Penn State men's and women's fencing teams, under the guidance of veteran head coach Emmanuil Kaidanov, have both earned lofty rankings in the first USFCA Coaches Poll of the 2005-06 season. The Nittany Lion women are ranked second in the poll while the men are ranked third.

Notre Dame tops the list on the women's side, just ahead of Penn State. Columbia is third while Ohio State is fourth and Harvard fifth. St. John's (6), Northwestern (7), Yale (8), Penn (t9) and Princeton (t9) round out the top ten.

Ohio State is ranked first on the men's side with Notre Dame following in second and Penn State close behind in third. Harvard is fourth and Columbia is fifth. The rest of the top ten is comprised of St. John's (6), Princeton (7), Penn (8), Stanford (9) and Duke (10).

The Nittany Lion women are off to a 5-0 start this season with wins over North Carolina, Rutgers, Princeton, Harvard and New York University. The men are 4-1, with wins over North Carolina, Rutgers, Princeton and NYU. The Lions did suffer a 14-13 upset loss to Harvard.

Penn State will host an exciting set of duals on Saturday, Jan. 28, beginning at 9 a.m. Duke, Penn, North Carolina and St. John's are among the teams competing.

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Hockey, Wrestling & Fencing Roundup: Schillings, Pressl help Delbarton sink B. Catholic
STAFF REPORTS
The Daily Record
Parsippany, NJ, USA
01/18/06

www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060118/SPORTS08/601180337/1013/SPORTS08

...

Fencing

Mendham High School's girls fencing team scored an 18-9 victory over Watchung Hills Tuesday.

The Minutemen won the sabre, 9-0, and foil, 5-4, but lost in the epee, 5-4. Mendham's boys team lost to Watchung Hills, 16-11.

The Minutemen carved out a 5-4 win in the foil but lost in the sabre, 5-4, and epee, 7-2.

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Fencer finishes in third at Junior World Cup[/color]
Soph. Ron Berkowsky a rising star on foil for Quakers men's team[/b][/color]
By Andrew Todres
The Daily Pennsylvanian
January 18, 2006

www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/01/18/43cdeef500a5c

Although the Penn men's fencing season has not yet fully kicked off, one fencer has been busy getting a leg up on the competition.

Sophomore Ron Berkowsky ended his winter vacation in Budapest, Hungary where he captured the bronze medal in the Junior World Cup of fencing


Sophomore foil Ron Berkowsky scores against women's sophomore Zoya Abdikulova. [Chris Poliquin/The Daily Pennsylvanian]

In a field of 163 of the world's most elite junior fencers, Berkowsky advanced all the way to the semifinals in the men's foil, losing to Italy's Martino Minuto, who ultimately won the World Cup.

With only one year of NCAA competition under his belt, Berkowsky was met with a big challenge in Budapest.

"The competition was by far tougher than anything I've ever experienced," he said. "It was tougher not only than in the Ivy League but on the national circuit as well."

Many of the participants hailed from what Berkowsky referred to as "fencing hotspots" such as France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Russia.

The fencers from Europe heavily outnumbered the Americans, especially the Italians, nine of whom finished in the top 30 in the foil.

Berkowsky's showing was the best out of the Americans in the competition. Nicholas Chinman was the next best American in Budapest, placing 33rd.

Berkowski is no stranger to international competition. In 2003, he represented the United States at the World Championships in Trapani, Italy.

Since arriving at Penn, however, he has not had much time to focus on fencing abroad.

The Junior World Cup in Budapest over winter break presented itself as Berkowsky's last real opportunity to compete internationally in the junior age group. He turned 19 last July.

His outstanding performance in Budapest comes as no major surprise given his success on the national level.

This past summer in the United States Under-19 Men's Foil Championship in Sacramento, Calif., he captured the gold medal, catapulting his ranking to fifth in the country and adding yet another accomplishment to his resume.

Last year as a freshman, Berkowsky left his coaches and teammates in awe, earning first-team All-America honors and compiling a record of 40-9.

As a testament to his tremendous growth throughout last season, he also took gold in both the Individual Men's Foil of the Intercollegiate Fencing Association Championship and in the Mid-Atlantic/South Regional Tournament.

Furthermore, Berkowsky took first place at the NCAA Regional Qualifier and earned the bronze medal at the NCAA Championships.

Since Penn's official fencing practice started only a short while before the Junior World Cup, Berkowsky spent time training at his fencing club in Southern New Jersey before heading to Budapest.

He noted, however, that the week of practice at Penn was an important factor in helping him to get ready for the event.

According to Berkowsky, the high level of fencing over winter break prepared him "very well" for the upcoming season.

"Now that I'm back, I'm pumped up and ready to go," he said.

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Cobourg fencers medal
The Northumberland News
Northumberland, CA
Jan 18, 2006

www.durhamregion.com/dr/nn/leisure/story/3269009p-3785154c.html

COBOURG - Fencers from the Cobourg Fencing Club earned a silver and a bronze medal at a recent Ontario Winter Games qualifier.

Harry Jankovich captured a silver in the Under-20 division and Natasha Kasunic won a bronze medal in the Under-13 Girls Division at the qualifier held on Saturday, Jan. 8 at the Beaches Fencing Club. The Ontario Winter Games are in Collingwood from March 8 to 10.

The two medals are an incredible feather in the cap of the fencing club founded in June, 2005, says Jill Jankovich, club official. The club currently has 40 members and young fencers are progressing nicely from the beginner to intermediate classes, adds Ms. Jankovich.

"It is nice to see the progression and every eight weeks we start a new group of beginners," says Ms. Jankovich.

The club has received $1,500 from Cobourg Rotary and $500 from the Baltimore Optimist Club which will help the club have electronic equipment for the first time.

"The equipment is for scoring and it is attached to both fencers. The Ontario Challenge Circuit relies heavily on it," says Ms. Jankovich. "With better protective equipment we will be holding our own even more in 2006."

The Cobourg Fencing Club currently practises in the C.R. Gummow school gym and is still accepting new members. The club belongs to the Ontario Fencing Association and members are introduced to the three disciplines of fencing; foil, epee, and sabre. For more information on the Cobourg Fencing Club e-mail [e-mail] or call 905-372-4777.

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ND FENCING: Fighters struggle in Texas
By: Dan Tapetillo
Observer Online
IN, USA
1/18/06

www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/paper660/news/2006/01/18/Sports/Nd.Fencing.Fighters.Struggle.In.Texas-1434804.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.ndsmcobserver.com

The Irish sent 14 of their top competitors to the non-NCAA North American Cup in Houston, Texas last weekend to help measure themselves against the nation's top fencers. The event took place at the Brown Convention Center - the same venue where the Irish won the 2005 NCAA Combined Fencing Championship last season, and this year had 6 of the 11 fencers from that squad.

However, this tournament was not a team-scoring event.

"You only go to compete individually and are not representing a specific school," junior Valerie Providenza said. "So [the North American Cup] is used to determine the top fencers in the U.S., and those who earn the most points at the end of the season go on to make the national team. But others go just to prepare for the NCAAs or the World Cup. It all depends on your skill level."

In the Division I Men's Epee competition, junior Patrick Gettings led the Irish at 34th, and freshman Mark Kubik placed 28th in the men's foil. The Division I Sabre competition was led by junior Patrick Ghattas, 18th, and freshman Bill Thanhouser, 24th, who recently earned the No. 1 ranking in the USFA under-21 men's sabre rankings.

"The men fenced well, it was just tough competition," Providenza said. "There are many more events for us to perform well in."

Junior captain Amy Orlando agreed.

"Fencing is a mental sport that varies from day to day. There are so many little aspects and technical [elements]," she said. "We just see it as a bad day for both the men and the women and it doesn't dictate what we should expect for the rest of the season."

In the Division I Women's portion of the competition, Orlando finished 19th and fifth-year Becca Chimahusky took 21st Freshman Adi Nott led the Irish in the women's foil in 21st place. The sabre competition showcased sophomore Mariel Zagnis and Providenza, placing sixth and tenth overall, respectively.

In the junior men's portion of the competition, Kubik finished 15th in men's foil and Thanhouser placed 11th in the men's sabre.

For the women, Montoya placed 15th in the epee and Nott and Prot placed third and 54th in the foil.

The Irish return to action on Jan. 22 at the NYU Duals.

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Ohio State Fencing Travels to New York University Duals
Men's and women's squads compete against seven opponents Saturday and Sunday
OhioStateBuckeyes.com
OH, USA
1/19/06

ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com/sports/c-fenc/spec-rel/011906aac.html

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State fencing squad travels to the New York University Duals at the Cole Sports Center in New York, N.Y., Saturday and Sunday. The Buckeyes will take on opponents from Columbia, New York, Northwestern, Notre Dame, St. John's, Wayne State and Yale.

BUCKEYES COMPETE IN FIRST COLLEGIATE COMPETITION
This will be the first collegiate competition for the Buckeyes and the first of three consecutive collegiate meets in the approaching weeks. This season Ohio State has competed in three North American Cup competitions, including the Junior NAC Nov. 11-14 in Albuquerque N.M., the Division I NAC Dec. 9-12 in Pittsburg, Pa. and the Division I NAC Jan. 13-16 in Houston, Texas.

In the upcoming weeks, Ohio State will travel to South Bend, Ind. to compete in the Notre Dame Duals Jan. 28-29 before hosting the Ohio State Duals Feb. 4-5.

RECAPPING THE NORTH AMERICAN CUP
At the NAC in Pittsburg Dec. 9-12, all four of the men's saber fencers placed in the top 20, with senior Jason Rogers finishing second. Senior Adam Crompton placed fifth, freshman Mike Momtselidze placed 13th and junior Jason Paul placed 19th. In the men's foil competition, junior Boaz Ellis finished No. 6 and freshman Andras Horanyi took No. 7. Junior Denis Tolkachev placed 13th in men's epee. Sophomore Siobhan Byrne had the highest finish for the women's squad, as she placed 15th in the saber. Also in saber, sophomore Eileen Grench finished 22nd and sophomore Amelia Gaillard finished 24th. In women's epee, junior Kaela Brendler placed 25th.

At the NAC in Houston Jan. 21-22, Rogers finished sixth in the men's saber, followed by Momtselidze at seventh and Paul at 23rd. In the men's foil competition, Ellis and Horanyi tied for second. Tolkachev finished second in the men's epee, followed by Rivera, who tied for third. In the women's saber competition, Byrne finished 15th, followed by Grench at No. 22 and junior Syvenna Siebert at No. 30.

A LOOK AT THE COMPETITION
Columbia University also competed in the NAC in Houston and had two top-ten finishes in the men's saber competition, with junior James Williams taking first-place and junior Alex Krul taking 10th. The women had two top-ten and three top-twenty finishes in the women's saber competition.

New York competed at the Penn State Invitational on December 3, with the men's team posting wins against North Carolina and losses against Rutgers, Penn State, Princeton and Harvard. The women's team beat North Carolina and Rutgers and lost to Princeton, Penn State and Harvard.

Northwestern's most recent competition was the NAC in Houston. Their highest finish came from freshman Sam Nemecek, who took second place in the junior women's foil competition.

At the Northwestern Duals on November 19, 2005, both the Notre Dame men's and women's squads went 6-0.

St. John's University went 5-0 in the men's and the women's competitions at the Brandeis Invitational on December 7, 2005, defeating Brandeis, Boston College, Yale, MIT, and Brown University.

Wayne State University hosted the 2005 Istvan Danosi/Michigan Open Dec. 3. First place finishes included Bobby Smith in men's saber; Marek Petraszek in men's epee; Kasia Kuzniak in women's saber; Lindsay Howard in women's foil and Anna Garina in women's epee.

At the Brandeis Invitational Dec. 7, 2005, the Yale University men's team beat MIT and Boston College for their first two wins of the season. The women's team beat MIT, Boston College, and Brandeis

BUCKEYES AT A GLANCE
After finishing among the top four in the nation for the past four years, including a second place finish in 2005 and a 2004 national championship, the Buckeyes will seek another title at the 2006 NCAA Championships March 16-19 in Houston, Texas. Ohio State has a total of 23 fencers returning from last year's team (13 men, 10 women), including eight of ten All-Americans.

"We have reached a level with our program that we should be in the Top 5 in the nation every year," head coach Vladimir Nazlymov said. "Our goal is to have an Olympic-level program. We have the talent to be that if our kids are mentally tough, work hard and are disciplined." Nazlymov is in his seventh year with the Buckeyes and has a combined record of 229-70 at Ohio State.

LAST SEASON AT NEW YORK
Last season Ohio State competed against Columbia, New York, Notre Dame and Stanford Jan. 25 at the New York University Duals at the Coles Sports Center in New York, N.Y. Both the men's and women's squads defeated all four teams to remain undefeated on the season.

OHIO STATE IN THE RANKINGS
The Buckeyes currently have 14 fencers appearing in the latest national rankings from US Fencing, including seven in the Top 10. Rogers is now the nation's No. 1 senior division men's saber fencer. Joining him in the Top 10 from the men's squad is Crompton at No. 4 in saber; Momtselidze at No. 7 in saber; Horanyi at No. 4 in the foil and junior Christian Rivera at No. 8 in epee. Also appearing in the rankings is junior Jason Paul at No. 28 in saber; Dimitri Kirk-Gordon at No. 26 in foil and sophomore William Jeter at No. 35 in foil.

From the women's saber squad, Gaillard is ranked No. 8 and Grench is ranked No. 10. Other Buckeye women ranked include Siebert at No. 26 in saber; freshman Allison Rush at No. 33 in foil; freshman Elizabeth Knauer at No. 35 in saber and Brendler at No. 40 (tie) in epee.

RECAP OF THE 2005 SEASON
After falling to rival Notre Dame in the 2005 NCAA Championship in Houston, Texas, the Buckeyes finished the season second in the NCAA with an overall record of 44-2. Leading up to the NCCA Championship, freshman Jeter placed first in the men's foil competition and freshman Gaillard placed first in the women's saber competition at the Midwest Region Qualifier on March 6, 2005. Ellis, Tolkachev and Byrne were named First-Team All-Americans, while Crompton, Rogers, Brendler, Gaillard and Hanna Thompson were named Second-Team All-Americans. Honorable Mention All-Americans were given to Rivera and Metta Thompson.

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TEMPLE WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME FENCING COACH NIKKI FRANKE GOES FOR 500TH CAREER WIN THIS WEEKEND
Temple Athletics
OwlsSports.com
Philadelphia, PA, USA
1/18/2006

www.owlsports.com/sports/wfencing/releases/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=16713


Nikki Franke

PHILADELPHIA—Temple women’s head fencing coach Nikki Franke can earn her 500th overall career win with a victory at this weekend’s Quad or Multi Meet at Penn on January 21st and 22nd. The Owls will compete against Penn, Cornell, Northwestern, North Carolina, Haverford, Drew and Rutgers. Franke’s current overall record, which dates back to the beginning of the Temple women’s fencing program in 1972-73, stands at 499-126-1 (.798).

In her 34th season as Director of Fencing and women’s foil coach at Temple University, Franke has led the Temple fencers to 32 postseason appearances and a NCAA Women’s Foil Championship in 1991-92. Last season, the Owls finished 17-8 (.690) and were ranked as high as ninth by the United States Fencing Coaches Association.

In addition to the 1992 NCAA Championship, under Franke’s direction the Owls finished runner-up in 1987 and 1993; placed third in 1985 and 1991 and took fourth place in 1983, 1984, 1988, and 1990.

Franke was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, the United States Fencing Association Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Temple University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995. She received the United States Fencing Coaches Association Women’s Fencing Coach of the Year honors in 1983, 1987, 1988 and 1991.

An athlete herself, Franke was a member of the 1976 and 1980 U.S. Olympic Teams and was the United States Fencing Association’s (USFA) National Foil Champion in 1975 and 1980. She was the runner-up in the national finals in 1978 and finished third in 1976, 1977, and 1979. She was also a member of the fifth place U.S. Team in the 1973 World University Games in Moscow and a member of the squad that competed in 1977 in Bulgaria.

Her international fencing credits include competing in the 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games. In 1975 she captured a silver medal in the individual foil competition and a bronze in 1979. Both years she helped the United States team place third.

A New York City native, Franke graduated with honors from Brooklyn College in 1972 where she was a four-year letterwinner, placing third at the 1972 NIWFA National Championships. While at BC she was named an NIWFA All-American.

Franke received a master’s degree in Health Education from Temple in 1975 and completed the doctoral program in 1988. She is currently an Associate Professor in Temple’s Department of Public Health.

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Venezuela to Host World Sabre Cup
Prensa Latina
Latin American News Agency
Jan 19, 2006

www.plenglish.com/Article.asp?ID=%7B0221FCE7-1894-4F1C-83F3-B133809D6F89%7D&language=EN

Caracas, Jan 19 (Prensa Latina) Venezuela will be the venue of the World Sabre Cup in 2005 as well as other international competitions, Venezuela Fencing Federation president Manuel Rondon announced Thursday.

According to a communiqué from the National Sports Institute, the Venezuelan city of Valencia, capital of Carabobo, will host those events in early June.

The Pan American Fencing Championship (epee, sabre and foil) for women and men from May 20 to 30, granting slots for the 15th Pan American Sports Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2007, will also be hosted by Valencia.

The Foil Grand Prix is also slated to be held in Venezuela in early June.

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Sukma fencers to work on mental strength
Daily Express
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
19 January, 2006

www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=39639

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah fencers have a problem when it comes to big championships and it is all in their mind.

The Sabah Fencing Association which recognises this as a major weakness in the 24-strong team preparing for the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Kedah is hoping to plug the problem, the sooner the better.

"The fencers are not mentally ready when it comes to bigger championships," said chief coach cum team manager Stephen Teo, adding it showed during the Sabah Closed Championship last weekend.

"Although they have all the abilities to be good fencers mentally they look scared when taking on their opponents," he said.

"In Sukma our fencers will be competing against top participants from all over the country and surely our fencers will have to do better," he said.

Towards this end Stephen said they have less than four months to rectify the problem before Sukma starts at the end of May.

The association has selected 12 men and 12 women who are currently undergoing intensive training.

"Our fencers have shown tremendous improvement in their skills and stamina since they started training last year," he said.

The fencers selected are (men): Yann Hong, Liew On Lim, Rick Einstein Kual, Weng Khoon Choo, Lendls Malibin, Heng Geap Lee, Kevin Jenn Corna, Yi Haur Lim, Adam Nicholas Lindbichler, Aaron Lim Ee Zhen, Brandon Ansibin and Nelson Fung.

The women are Cassandra Chin, Bonnie Chu, Bertha Chu, Su Li wong, Renee Chu, Jehan Hashim, Nadia, Marcelle Martin, Berunikah Simpul, Kimberly Janet Ansibin and Norkaini Jamlim.

The fencers are training under three coaches, namely, Bobby Chiew, Godwin Chong and James Loy.

Stephen said the fencers would also be sent to compete in various national and also state meets in order to gauge their strengths and mental preparedness.

"For a start there will be the Junior Circuit Fencing Championship in March in Johor.

"From there we will know our true strength when competing against much better opponents," he added.

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Wildcats Open First Coaches Poll at No. 7
NU off to 12-1 start in 2005-06
EVANSTON, ILL, USA
Jan. 18, 2006.

nusports.collegesports.com/sports/w-fenc/spec-rel/011806aaa.html


Jessica Florendo has a
33-4 record this season.

Northwestern's women's fencing team opened the 2006 USFCA College Fencing Coaches Poll at No. 7. The Wildcats are 12-1 in 2005-06 with its only loss to the No. 1 ranked team Notre Dame.

The Big Ten is well represented in the first poll of the new year, as Penn State sits at No. 2 and Ohio State is ranked fourth. A complete list of the top-10 is below.

1. Notre Dame
2. Penn State
3. Columbia-Barnard
4. Ohio State
5. Harvard
6. St. Johns (N.Y.)
7. Northwestern
8. Yale
9. Pennsylvania
10. Princeton

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Depth at sabre a big question mark
Red and Blue will likely be without
All-American captain Katelyn Sherry
for remainder of month[/b][/color]
By Andrew Todres
Daily Pennsylvanian
Philadelphia, PA, USA
January 19, 2006

www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/01/19/43cf32f9dfbab

[Phoot: Chris Poliquin]
Freshman Abby Emerson and sophomore
Grace Wilson face off during a scrimmage.

Dave Micahnik has spent 50 years in the Penn's fencing program -- first as a player, and now as the team's head coach.

In that time, Micahnik has learned how to overcome just about any obstacle.

This season, however, inexperience, injuries and an overall lack of depth are just a few of the obstacles that the Quakers must overcome in order to win the Ivy League.

Like the men's squad, the women do not have a single senior on the team. The young Quakers initially planned to turn to junior Katelyn Sherry for leadership.

Sherry has been the rock of the team for the past two years, earning All-America honorable mention in the sabre during both seasons and compiling a 51-8 record in the 2004-05 campaign.

But in December, Sherry broke her foot, forcing her out until the end of January at the earliest.

The setback has altered the general makeup of the team, forcing junior Jackie Schramm to switch from the epee to the sabre in order to compensate for the loss of Sherry.

The sabre, which was for many years Penn's strong point, has now become the biggest question mark.

"The sabre is definitely vulnerable right now," Micahnik said. "The epee and the foil are going to have to pick up the slack against most of the teams."

In the temporary absence of Sherry, junior Holly Buechel is serving as the team's interim captain.

"It's hard without Katelyn because she was really the 'mom' of the team," Buechel said. "Right now I'm just trying to be a role model for the freshmen -- we're going to need them to do very well this season."

Penn will rely heavily on Buechel, a first-team All-American and the anchor of the epee team, to secure wins to take some pressure off of the sabre.

According to Micahnik, the foil will be "excellent" this season, thanks in the large part to the addition of highly-touted freshmen Abby Emerson and Ilana Sinkin.

Both newcomers have plenty of fencing experience and recently returned from a national tournament in Houston.

There, Emerson placed seventh in the open competition, losing to former Olympian Anne Marsh and World Champion Emily Cross -- a sophomore at Harvard.

Despite its youth, Micahnik stressed that the team should be fine once the younger fencers become more acclimated.

"I think we'll be okay once we get through the early part of the season," he said. "As long as we can break even in the sabre, I think we have a good chance to win the league."

The team will make up for a lack of depth with talent.

"Top to bottom, this is a very balanced team," Micahnik said. "We have great fencers in every event."

Coming off last year's third-place finish in the Ancient Eight, Penn will have to contend with Harvard and Columbia, both of whom have been perennial powerhouses. The Crimson won the title last year.

Micahnik also noted that Princeton is on the rebound, having made significant improvements at sabre.

"There's a lot of uncertainty," he said. "It's impossible to predict what will happen and there's always a little bit of luck involved."

Having returned from winter vacation a week early to train, the team feels generally comfortable with the way in which it has practiced and is optimistic about the season.

"I think we're looking pretty good right now," Emerson said.

Buechel added that although the Quakers could have benefited from competing more before the start of the regular season, everyone is headed in the right direction.

"We're all working very well together," she said. "We'll definitely peak at the end of the season."

[LongBlade]

Four top-ten teams awaiting Wildcats in two tournaments
by Annie Martin
Daily Northwestern
Evanston, IL, USA
1/20/06

www.dailynorthwestern.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/01/20/43d077fd767af

The Wildcats, ranked seventh in the nation, have only lost one dual-match this season — to No. 1 Notre Dame — and they’re determined not to let anyone else best them at the Penn Duals on Saturday and the NYU Duals on Sunday.

“My goal is to win all nine matches,” coach Laurie Schiller said. “But there’s at least five of those nine teams that I would consider to be serious threats to beating us. If we fence like we can fence, I think we’re a better team than any of them.”

Northwestern (12-1) will face No. 3 Columbia, No. 6 St. John’s, No. 8 Yale and No. 9 Penn as well as Cornell, Temple, Drew, New Jersey Institute of Technology and NYU.

“If we’re going to be a good team, if we want to consider ourselves a top-10 team, we need to beat all these (teams),” Schiller said. “If we come away with one loss, I’ll be pretty happy with that.”

Schiller said Penn will likely be the Cats’ first big challenge of the weekend. Although he said Penn has a better sabre team than NU, he felt the Cats’ epee and foil teams could defeat Penn’s. In addition, NU beat Columbia last year, but Schiller said two of Columbia’s top sabre fencers were at the World Cup during the match.

“Everybody’s going to have to have their game face on,” Schiller said. “They can’t get up and be comatose. One of the things that worries me in some of the performances last weekend (at the USFA North America Cup) is that some people weren’t ready. If you’re not ready to fence, you’re going to lose bouts.”

Schiller said five of the teams the Cats face this weekend are “strong,” two are “medium” and two are “weak.” Schiller also said having to travel farther than most of the other teams they face this weekend could work against NU.

“We’re definitely going to have to pull together as a team, really support each other, be really focused, and just do our best,” freshman Megan Ross said.