Frosh lead way for W. Fencing

While Penn men's basketball freshman forward Ugonna Onyekwe is busy slamming home perfectly placed alley-oop passes from fellow newcomer David Klatsky that send the Palestra crowd into a frenzy, five other members of the Class of 2003 are wreaking havoc on their opponents away from the spotlight -- right next door at Hutchinson Gymnasium. Foilists Lauren Staudinger and Stacey Wertlieb, epeeists Kim Linton and Julia Blank and sabre Christina Verigan have developed this year and blossomed into their roles, leading the Penn women's fencing team in just their first year of collegiate athletics. And they are far from finished. With four fencers, including captain Heba Abdulla, graduating after this season and with only two sophomores and no juniors on the team, the freshmen will be expected to carry the Red and Blue and lead them for the next three seasons. "I have to help them to improve so that they become a dominant group and put us over the top to win an Ivy championship," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "If they become dominant fencers, while we bring in high-quality new people, we can have a heck of a team." And Micahnik has good reason to be optimistic for the future. While the women's fencing team suffered through a mediocre and somewhat disappointing season, finishing with an 8-8 record (2-3 Ivy League), the freshmen proved that they are a force to be reckoned with. The newcomers combined to win 63 percent of their total bouts. Leading the way was Staudinger, who finished the season with a 37-8 record, while winning 11 of her 15 Ivy League bouts. In just her first year, Staudinger has emerged as Penn's No. 1 foilist and will probably maintain that position for the next three years. Wertlieb, the other freshman foilist, also had a successful freshman campaign, winning 65 percent of her total bouts. Next year, when senior foilists Margo Katz and Amy Hozer will no longer be with the team, these two will be looked upon to carry the foil squad. The Quakers' epee squad has also been led by a rookie. Linton, who was an excellent high school fencer, has excelled this season, winning two-thirds of her bouts both overall and in Ivy League play. Blank, the other freshman epeeist, has also clearly helped the squad. In her limited role as a reserve, she has picked up eight victories for the Quakers, but she hopes to continue to develop and learn skills to make her a better fencer. While Blank is learning new techniques, fellow freshman Verigan is doing a different kind of learning -- she's learning how to fence a whole new weapon. A foilist throughout high school, Verigan decided to switch to sabre in the first year it would be allowed for women in collegiate competition. And Verigan, who has finished the season 26-21 overall with an 8-7 Ivy League record, is happy with her decision. "It's such an experience to be on the inaugural women's sabre team," she said. "I'm glad I made the change because, although it's challenging and at times very frustrating, I enjoy it more." Without a doubt, these five young ladies have created a nucleus and a great foundation for years to come. But while slashing away at the opposition is crucial to the freshmen's success, the most important aspect of their athletic life at Penn is the camaraderie and friendship that exists among the squad. "The fencing team is one big family," Linton said. "We are all so supportive of each other in everything, and we really enjoy each other's company." The young Quakers have grown very close indeed. "After seeing each other every weekend, smelling each other's funk and partying together after meets, I already feel close to the team after such a short amount of time," Blank said. With this strong solidarity, it seems that the Penn women's fencing team will be near the top of the league for years to come. "I think because of our friendships, we will have a successful future," Staudinger said. These five freshman will only get better and with one another at each other's side, there's no telling how far they'll go.

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