Cohen qualifies for Worlds

After beginning last week with a 15-12 win over Ivy League archrival Princeton, the Penn men's fencing team capped off the week with notable finishes at the prestigious Junior Olympics tournament last weekend. Quakers sophomore foilist Yale Cohen finished third out of a group of almost 200 competitors at the event, while freshman foilist Andrew Radu came in fifth. This was an especially important tournament for Cohen, as he needed to improve on his No. 5 ranking in the country in order to compete in the World Championships, held this April in Poland. Only the top three fencers in the country are placed on the national team. After the weekend, the standout sophomore was ranked No. 2 in the country, good enough to earn a spot on the U.S. team. "I'm glad that I can help out and I'm thankful for the support of the team," Cohen said. "And I'm glad that I'm able to help in our quest to win the Ivies." The tournament began with a round-robin of six fencers competing in five-touch matches. The field was narrowed and reseeded based on these performances. Cohen was seeded first out of the 128 fencers who advanced. Both Cohen and Radu steamrolled through the early rounds of the tournament's 15-touch bouts, going 3-0 to reach the final eight. Cohen won his next match to advance to the field of four before falling, earning him the bronze medal in the tournament. Radu lost his first match upon reaching the elite eight to finish fifth in the field. Radu does not normally start for the Quakers squad. Representing the Penn women's fencing team, sophomore foilist Lauren Staudinger won four matches after getting a first-round bye to finish 12th overall. The high-profile event served to secure the Penn's confidence and emphasize the team's strength at the foil position. "It's a good indication of how strong the men's foil is and the strength of Penn's teams -- both men's and women's," Staudinger said. Staudinger, however, was not pleased with her 12th-place performance. "I was really proud of Yale Cohen and Andy Radu," Staudinger said. "I was disappointed with my finish because I finished two points short of the final round and this was my last year to compete." The Penn men's fencing team now finds only Columbia between itself and an undefeated run through the Ivy League. The Red and Blue (11-2, 3-0 Ivy League) have already enjoyed victories over Princeton, Harvard and Yale and have clinched at least a share of the league title. "We have a really strong team," Cohen said. "And after the Princeton win, we want to have the only [Ivy League title] rings this season."

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