All-Americans lead M. Fencing in 1998-99

Penn's fencing team is good. Good, in this sense, doesn't simply mean winning the Ivies, or beating Princeton, or even placing among the top six programs in the nation -- they could do all that. This team, however, returns a 1996 Olympian and two 1997 national runners-up to a team that has consistently placed among the top five in the nation. Yes, Penn's fencing team is good. And considering that the goal of the sport is to hit an opponent with a long metal prod, this means that collegiate teams across the nation will be feeling some serious pain this winter. "Last year was good, but I don't think it's all we can do," 1996 Olympian junior Cliff Bayer said. "I think we definitely have a chance to break the top six and turn some heads this year." Though the Quakers' finish at the NCAA National Championships last year was certainly a stellar achievement, their overall finish might have been even better had it not been for questionable officiating in the final round. Then-freshman Yaron Roth fell 15-13 to Ayo Griffin of Yale in the final round of last year's championships in what can only be described as a questionable bout. "One of the two touches in the end was a wrong call -- grievously wrong," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. Nonetheless, Penn's men fencers enter this season with well-deserved confidence. The men compete in three different events: the sabre, foil and epee. With what Bayer describes as "no major losses" from last season's roster, the Quakers should excel in all three events. The foil, however, should be their most dominating entry. With the national championship only inviting two athletes per team for each event, Penn is virtually unstoppable, returning Bayer as well as last year's collegiate runner-up Roth. "As far as the men's foil goes, I don't think anybody in the country can touch us," Bayer said. "Hopefully we'll be able to do as well as the football team did this year and win the Ivies." Penn's women fencers hope to do the same. Unlike the men, Penn's women compete only in the epee and foil events. The Quakers' main challenge this year will be their team size. They return a sophomore who earned honorable mention All-American honors last year, but the team's epee competitors lost two of three starters, and their foil squad lost one. "We don't have great depth on the women's team but we have enough quality that we should be able to sustain a winning record," Micahnik said. "But its going to be a job." Besides a simple loss of talent, the Quakers face having to deal with a new team chemistry. "We had so many people graduate. How we can rely on each other will change," said Jagna Gromuslka, a Virginia transfer who was born in Poland. For both men and women, competition throughout the season will be intense. The Ivy League has consistently placed teams in the top 10 nationally, and Penn will be facing other top teams throughout the year. This intensity will become apparent to the Quakers early in the season, as their first meet on January 23 will involve Stanford, Duke and more of the nation's best. Throughout the rest of the year, highlights will involve a dual meet with Princeton, a team Micahnik calls "loaded." Columbia and Yale will also provide tough challenges to the Quakers through the regular season. Competing in the Ivy League is the toughest challenge any fencing team could face. But with more All-Americans, Olympians and national champions than you could shake a stick at, Penn's fencers plan to shake their stick better than the rest.