U-20 fencers head to Junior Olympics

The Penn men's fencing team doesn't have much to complain about. The men's team soundly beat longtime rival Yale 18-9 on January 30 before beating five other schools at the MIT Multi-Meet the following day. The men (9-3, 3-0 Ivy) ran their winning streak to eight last weekend with wins over Ivy rivals Harvard, 24-3, and Princeton, 14-13. The victory over fencing powerhouse Princeton was especially impressive. "We were hoping to be competitive [against Princeton]," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "The margins are slender when you go to the last bout." The defeats of Harvard and Princeton helped the men's team clinch a tie for its first Ivy title since 1983. On February 20, Penn will compete against Columbia, the only school that stands between the Quakers and an outright Ivy title. Micahnik believes the team has a good chance of winning. "[The men's team] is undefeated for the season," said Micahnik. "If we beat Columbia, which we are capable of doing, the Gustavus T. Kirby Memorial Trophy will be ours." Things have not gone as well for the women's team (10-4, 0-3), which has been victimized by the strength of the Ivy League. The women's team has losses against Harvard, Princeton and Yale, but has won 10 of 11 non-league matches. Two weeks ago, the women's team soundly defeated six schools at the MIT Multi-Meet, overcoming strong teams such as Brown, Brandeis and Boston College. But before both squads see their last Ivy action of the season on January 20, five Penn fencers are heading to Chattanooga, Tenn., this weekend to compete in the Junior Olympics. The Junior Olympics competition is organized by age brackets. The Cadet Olympics is for fencers up to age 17, while the Junior Olympics is for fencers aged 20 and below. The age division may prove to be helpful. "A lot of good fencers aged out," freshman epee James Benson said. Benson will be returning to the Juniors this weekend after competing in the event the past few years. "It's a chance to get a lot of experience," Benson said. "You come in here and you practice. Things like the Junior Olympics let you see how you compare to everyone else." Benson hopes to at least match last year's top-16 finish. Benson attributes his success to good coaching and tough competition. Also competing is 1998 National Under-19 foil champion David Cohen, who has competed in the Junior Olympics the past five years. He came in 11th two years ago and ended up ninth last year. Cohen, who is currently ranked third in the United States, is optimistic about this weekend. "It's the most important tournament of the year," Cohen said. "I want to win the Junior Olympics." Cohen will be competing under slightly adverse conditions. After using the same fencing equipment for a year, his fencing bag was lost while he was competing in Italy last weekend. Micahnik noted the importance of this weekend for those Penn fencers trying to make the U.S. under-20 team for world championships. "David Cohen has an excellent chance [of making the U.S. team]," Micahnik said. Freshman epee Scott Eriksen, who placed fifth in the Cadet bracket in 1997, will also be competing this weekend. "I just want to be relaxed and have some fun with it," Eriksen said. Sophomore epee Eric Epstein will be returning to the Junior Olympics for his fourth consecutive year. "Going is an accomplishment in itself," said Epstein. "I'm going to have fun with it. The more you have fun fencing, the more relaxed you are. If you worry too much you won't get good results." Epstein regrets having to compete on Valentine's Day, but he plans to "just go out and have a good time." Competing from the women's team is freshman epee Mindy Nguyen, who competed in the Junior Olympics last year in Oakland, Calif. Nguyen also noted that many competitive fencers aged out of the juniors. Nguyen is confident regardless of the strength of her competitors. "I'm going to have a positive attitude and be aggressive, and I'll see where that takes me," Nguyen said.