M. Fencing must overcome graduation, fierce competition

Study abroad and career opportunities have thinned the Quakers' corps of sabres. The Penn men's fencing team is once again sharpening its swords for a year of combat. Coming off a winning 1996 season of 7-5 and an Ivy League record of 1-3, the team is definitely looking to improve its numbers this year. With the Ivy League a strong conference --EYale, Princeton and Columbia are nationally ranked and Harvard has strong individual members -- the Penn men have to step up to the challenge of national competition. "The teams that we fence on our schedule are all strong," said Quakers coach Dave Micahnik, who has led the program since 1974. "We do not have an easy schedule at all." These fencers are no strangers to national competition, with their star foiler, sophomore Cliff Bayer, reigning as NCAA and national champion in his weapon, and also a member of the 1996 Olympic team. The team has a wide base to draw from, with many freshmen filling spaces vacated by valued upperclassmen, particularly at sabre. Sanjiv Agashiwala, the named captain for this season and a sabre, chose to pursue a career in business instead of continuing his studies at Penn. Two juniors, Jeffrey Allen and Roland Backes, a sabre and an epee, respectively, are currently studying in Europe. Micahnik said that although the newcomers are "pretty good, it is a hard to say how they will mesh into a strong lineup." "The freshmen on the team are experienced in the sport," Penn junior sabre Alex Platt said. "They are definitely not walk-ons." As the season opens, the strongest of the three weapons will be foil. With Bayer, sophomore James Lyons, a part-time starter from last season, and two new freshman prospects, David Cohen and Yaron Roth, this is the most stable of the three weapons. The Quakers are looking to their strength in foil to dependably put points on the board at every meet. Penn's sabre team, in comparison, is a little shaky. With No. 1 Agashiwala and No. 2 Allen out of the lineup for the season, the lineup is now in the process of being put together. Sophomore David Liu is switching weapons from foil to sabre to pick up some of the slack. There are other returners, but "finding a starting lineup from this group right now isn't clear," according to Micahnik. With Backes out of the country and the loss to graduation of two starters, epee is the most unproven weapon for Penn. With five new epee freshmen, the Red and Blue are not lacking the men, but the experience. "There is plenty of talent," Micahnik said, "but none of it is proven. None of them have had any college experience. It looks like the team is deep, but we do not really know how they will do." With its season-opening climactically with a match against reigning Ivy League champion Princeton, Penn is using its practices and this weekend's preseason meet at Penn State to settle its many question marks.