M. Fencing begins its postseason tournaments

The Quakers will compete at the IFA tournament tomorrow before heading into the NCAA individual and team tourneys. The slate has been wiped clean for the Penn men's fencing team. Finishing the regular season with a record of 7-5 and only 1-3 in the Ivy League is of no importance, as the Quakers begin the postseason tomorrow at the Intercollegiate Fencing Association tournament at St. John's. The IFA tournament is the first step in this second part of the Penn fencing season. The unique postseason format continues with the individual regional NCAA tournament next week and finishes with the national individual NCAA championships for those who qualify. The individual scores of those who compete at the national tournament are then combined with all Penn participants, and the teams are ranked accordingly. The IFA tournament this weekend permits each team to enter its top three fencers in each weapon class with one substitute. Each weapon class is a competition within itself, as the top three fencers for each team will compete against their counterparts from the region. The three men's weapons will be tallied to the women's results for an overall placing. "This really is the ultimate team competition," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "Everyone's contribution is necessary and noticeable. Each win is another point." There will be 12 northern schools competing. The list of schools resembles Penn's regular season schedule, as most of the same teams will participate including MIT, Rutgers, NYU, host St. John's and all of the Ivies. The Red and Blue should have an idea of what to expect in each match. Illness and injuries may be Penn's undoing this weekend, as the status of many fencers is questionable. Junior sabre Sandy Agashiwala, an All-Ivy selection one year ago, will not be able to compete due to an injured shoulder. Sophomore Alex Platt, a consistent force at sabre all season, has not practiced all week with tonsillitis. With the absence of these two, Micahnik will have to look to others for support. "If they are out, the sabre lineup is in disarray," said Micahnik. "[Jeff] Allen has certainly caught on in the second half of the season." In addition to the wounded sabres, captain Adam Brown is suffering from tendinitis in his elbow but will probably get the start as the No. 2 foil seed. The remainder of the foil squad will be rounded out with freshmen. While these freshmen may have little postseason experience, they have proven themselves. Cliff Bayer will fence the top foils in the region, as Rick Bernstein and Dave Liu will fill the third and fourth spot on the roster. "It's good to have some positive flexibility with the foils, knowing that there isn't as much flexibility with the sabres or the epees," Micahnik said. The Quakers' epees will look to the senior leadership of Alex Edelman and Ed Cleaver. The epees have struggled of late but are looking ahead instead of looking back. Both are very capable tournament fencers and will rely on their collegiate experience to bounce back. Those finishing with the best results in the team competition tomorrow will go on to compete in the individual competition on Sunday. In this 12-team competition, there are many trophies to be had, including the oldest trophy in college sports, which goes to the foil team winner. Look for the Quakers to finish somewhere in the top half of the standings, as they have already beaten most of the teams they will be fencing this weekend.