Well-drilled M. Fencing looks for results in home opener

Last year, the Penn Multi-Meet kicked off what would turn out to be an Ivy League championship season for the Penn men's fencing team. With a strong contingent of upperclassmen returning and the addition of several talented freshmen, the Quakers hope that this year's meet will mark the first chapter in a similar story. The Quakers will welcome Duke, Rutgers, Johns Hopkins and Haverford to Penn's Hutchinson Gymnasium Saturday at 11 a.m. Penn coach Dave Micahnik believes that powerhouses Rutgers and Duke will prove to be the Quakers' toughest competition. At last year's multi-meet, the Blue Devils beat Penn, 16-11, for their first win ever over the Quakers. "We want to get revenge on them," Micahnik said. "It won't be easy, though -- they're good." Duke boasts an impressive roster that includes a Junior Olympian in sophomore sabre Richard Glod and a Junior Cup competitor in senior epeeist Brian Hartman. Penn assistant coach Iosif Vitebskiy emphasized that Duke is equally strong in all three weapons, making them an especially challenging team. Micahnik believes Penn will have an easier time handling Haverford and Johns Hopkins. Last year, Penn dominated Haverford in a 24-3 romp. Johns Hopkins, which has not faced the Quakers in several years, is the top team in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Conference. Micahnik notes that while both the Blue Jays and the Fords have some tough fencers, neither squad is as experienced as usual this year. Meanwhile, the Quakers are in good shape for this weekend's meet. The team returned to Penn on January 6 for a week of rigorous, four-hour training sessions. And those two weeks of training have boosted the Red and Blue's collective spirit. "I'm pumped up," freshman epeeist Javier Garcia-Albea said. "We're all really motivated and we've come together in the last few weeks." Garcia-Albea feels last year's loss to Duke is something "we're not going to let happen again." Sophomore epeeist Scott Eriksen also feels confident about the multi-meet. "I think we're all warmed up and ready for the meet," Eriksen said. He predicts that the Quakers will repeat their victory over Haverford and believes Penn is definitely capable of beating Duke. Eriksen also feels that, since no other Ivy League teams will compete this weekend, the Quakers can fence without excessive pressure. "The team is pretty anxious, pretty excited for this meet," he said. "It's a chance to see where we stand." The familiar environs of a home meet usually only prove helpful for the Red and Blue, but this will not be the case this weekend. Two visiting coaches will also be returning to familiar ground when they step into Hutch. Haverford coach Jim Murray was Micahnik's assistant coach for two years, while Rutgers coach Yefim Litvan was an assistant for three years under Penn's head man. This Saturday should challenge the Quakers before they head into an upcoming string of Ivy League meets, beginning with Yale at home on January 29. "I expect a close meet," Micahnik said. "I'm looking forward to some success. It would be nice to sweep it, but you do it one at a time."