"Finger" trophy at stake for M. Fencing

Death has not been a common result of fencing bouts since military duels and medieval sword fights were replaced by firearms, and fencing left the battlefield and entered the world of sport as a martial art. However, heads may roll tomorrow as the Penn men's fencing team (6-3, 1-2 Ivy League) hosts defending national champion and currently undefeated Penn State, along with Ivy-rival Columbia and Rutgers at Hutchinson Gymnasium. Despite the excitement and challenge of facing such a strong team in Penn State, the Quakers will focus on the match with Columbia as the key to the weekend. It is the first match of the day, as well as a conference clash. "We look at Columbia as the most important match of our lives because we fence them first," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "After that match is done, then we'll look at Penn State as the most important match of our lives. We can't look too far ahead or we'll get killed." The Quakers' loss at Princeton last week eliminated the team from the Ivy title hunt, which will be decided this weekend by Princeton and Yale. The Red and Blue, however, want very much to finish at 2-2 in the Ivy League with a win over Columbia. The Quakers will need an excellent performance from the sabres and epees in order to be successful tomorrow. Neither of these squads has shown much consistency over the course of the season, but if Penn is going to do well in the postseason, the epees and sabres must step up and perform this weekend. Penn will be fencing for the right to give Columbia "The Middle Finger," a trophy that goes to the losing coach of the annual rivalry. After Columbia, Penn will take on Penn State (13-0), a team that may very well be on their way to another national title. With a well-balanced attack, the Nittany Lions will be strong in all three of the weapons. Penn State has two of the best collegiate foil fencers in Gang Lu and David Lidow, who may provide the toughest test yet for the strong Quakers foils. At 5-3, the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, against whom Penn will finish the meet, cannot be taken lightly. With the loss of two first-team All-American fencers from last year's epee championship team, they are not as strong as Penn's other two opponents, but should provide formidable opposition for the Red and Blue. Rutgers head coach Yefim Litvan is a former assistant to Micahnik and may be looking to show his old boss a thing or two. Despite ample opportunity to change the lineups with three different matches, Micahnik will not make many changes to the rotation, as each match has considerable significance. "I may decide to make some last-minute changes if someone's not getting the job done," Micahnik said. "But these are three important matches. Columbia is a league rival, Rutgers is a regional rival, and Penn State is Penn State, both a regional and national rival." The "Balestra at the Palestra" meet is the last of the regular season for the Quakers, who hope to finish strong before heading to the regional IFA tournament at St. John's next weekend.