Edelman gives Penn national-caliber epee

Depsite being smaller and slower than the top epees, Alex Edelman has become a NCAA tournament regular. Don't mess with Alex Edelman. Standing a few inches shy of six feet an possessing an unimposing build, this unsuspecting jock slices up his opponents again and again with apparent ease. Edelman has garnered second-team All-American status, won the NCAA Outstanding Fencer Award and traveled to the NCAA championships for three consecutive years. The Penn senior is not only at the top of his sport in the Ivy League, but is also among the nation's elite. Edelman's specialty is epee, one of three types of fencing. In epee, it is a great advantage to be tall and quick -- the objective is to hit any part of the other fencer's body with the tip of the epee. Edelman is not tall and not particularly quick, though. So, how does he manage to stay at the top? "It is quite a challenge," Edelman said, "but fencing is a cerebral game. I enjoy the mental aspect. It's sort of a physical chess. It's a lot of fun to go against an opponent and have to improv and change strategies." Not only does the competition require mental awareness, so does the off-the-strip work. Despite several hours of practice a day, Edelman has achieved academic all-Ivy status and has earned a place on the dean's list. Something that might come into question when looking over Edelman's past achievements is the noticeably quiet end to his stellar seasons. At the NCAA regionals three years ago, Edelman trounced the competition and beat the eventual regional champion in an early match of the round robin. That success, however, has not carry over into the national championship. The highest he has placed was sixth last year. "Alex has been a mainstay of the team since he got here," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "In some instances he didn't win, but I would put him there again in a minute." Micahnik himself remembers back to 1958 when he was in a position similar to Edelman. Despite taking criticism from the school paper for his big game failures, Micahnik went on to qualify for the Olympic team. "There is not a lot of room for error in the championships, and I just can't assume I'll win," Edelman said. Edelman believes his failures only show him how much further he has to improve in a sport where experience is a vital attribute. Despite not yet winning a national championship, Edelman looks back proudly at his first three years at Penn, remembering that he was once a "sickly, asthmatic kid with no athletic ability." If the Quakes' first preseason match at Temple, where Edelman took first place, was a preview of what the rest of the season will look like, Edelman must be pleased. "Edelman is the No. 1 epee man," Micahnik said. "It will be the other schools that are going to wonder how they are going to handle Edelman."