Fencing teams eager to get back into action

Men host three competitors this aftertoon For the members of the Penn men's fencing team, competitions this season have been few and far between. This afternoon (Weightman Gym, 2 p.m.) the Quakers will begin the heart of their schedule and try to dust off the cobwebs that have been building since their last competition shortly after Thanksgiving Break. Northwestern, Stanford and Rutgers will make the trip to Philadelphia for the tournament. The team has been working hard during its sabbatical, and the fencers are prepared to get back into the swing. "I am confident that these fencers are ready to start the season," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "We've done a lot of quality work since our last competition, and we're ready to start fencing." The Quakers actually competed in a match at New York University this weekend and were pleased with the results. Penn competed against NYU, St. John's and Duke, and the Quakers' only loss came at the hands of the Redmen, 15-12. Penn clobbered an injury-plagued Blue Devil squad by a combined count of 21-6. "We basically handled Duke," Micahnik said. "We out-fenced them and got the victory." The real drama occurred in the match against NYU, which was tied 14-14 going into freshman Alex Edelman's final match. Trailing by just one touch, Edelman -- spurred by the chanting of his teammates -- made a brilliant move to tie the match and then finished off his opponent with a simple stab. "The tying touch was incredible," Micahnik said. "It's the kind of thing you might see on a highlight film. He just kept attacking his opponent and finally made the touch." "I like how this season has progressed thus far," Edelman said. "I feel lucky to have started against all three teams on Saturday, and I'm glad I could provide a victory. "I didn't even realize that the entire meet was on the line in my last match. I finally figured it out when the entire team was watching. I felt a certain responsibility to my teammates, so I was happy that I could win." As for this afternoon's competition, the team is confident and uncertain at the same time. "Stanford has always been a good team," Micahnik said. "We might have our hands full with them, especially if we get cocky. They are usually quite good." Northwestern really has never been known as a fencing powerhouse, but the Wildcats have a reputation as spoilers who can provide an upset. Rutgers has already accomplished this goal when the Scarlet Knights defeated Penn State, the No. 1 fencing team in the country, earlier this season. "Penn State hadn't lost a match in a few years," Micahnik said. "We will have to be very careful in fencing against Rutgers." As far as the fencers are concerned, they also realize the competition will be tough. "St. John's and Northwestern are always respectable opponents," Edelman said. "But we have a strong team and should match up well against them."