He's only a freshman, but there isn't much higher that Penn fencer Ron Berkowsky can go.
After winning the foil competition at the Intercollegiate Fencing Association championship, Berkowsky finished third at this weekend's NCAA Championships held at Rice University in Houston.
With the third-place finish came a bronze medal and first-team All-America honors, but he wasn't the only Quakers fencer to earn a spot among the nation's elite.
Sophomore epee fencer Holly Buechel came in fourth place in the women's competition, landing her on the first team as well.
Penn finished seventh out of the 33 teams at the event. Coach Dave Micahnik was satisfied with the overall finish, but was thrilled with the way Buechel and Berkowsky fought.
"They were both technically precise and both were consistent," Micahnik said. "It's very difficult to get a result like that if you're hot and cold. It takes a particularly high level of concentration to go bout after bout after bout and not have letdowns, so I was extraordinarily pleased with their performances."
Berkowsky has come on strong as a freshman at the time when it counts most -- the end of the year tournaments.
He came out of nowhere to win the gold medal for the men's foil at the IFA's last month as well as claiming the bronze in the NCAA's this weekend. He was happy to be able to compete in the tournament, let alone win a medal.
"Going in I was just ecstatic that I was able to go," Berkowsky said. "At the beginning I said to myself 'It's such a privilege to be here, just go out and do your best,' but by the end of the first day of competition I had come out ranked second. I knew I could pull this off if I kept at it and fenced my heart out, and lo and behold, at the end of the day I got the bronze medal.
"I'm not sure how I was able to do it, but I was able to stay focused for most of the day. I was completely exhausted at the end of the first day to the point that I could barely hold my foil. I'm completely ecstatic and excited."
Micahnik was overjoyed with the way Berkowsky fought, as the freshman ranked third in a field that also contained two former champions. Micahnik can see his improvement over the course of the season.
"He's improved not only technically but tactically, and that has made his results go way up," the veteran coach said.
Buechel fenced particularly well for the women, especially in the team competition. She was first in the round-robin competition, going 18-5, and she placed fourth in the women's epee after losing her final two matches. She was happy to make first-team All-America for the second straight year. However, her performance in her final two matches left her with a sour taste in her mouth.
"I'm pretty happy because I'm first-team All-America, which is really incredible because only three other people can say that in my weapon, but I was disappointed with my end result," Buechel said. "It's kind of frustrating to lose twice and end up fourth because I was seeded first after the pool. That's the game. After so many bouts you're just exhausted, and by then my body was done."
Micahnik felt the sophomore's draw at the end of the competition was unlucky.
"Holly was fencing pretty well, so she had the top seed, but she drew two people that had her number, and that was kind of unfortunate," Micahnik said.
The championships began with a round-robin team competition among the 24 fencers at each weapon, so each fencer fought 23 bouts. The fencers with the best records then moved on to the final four. The winners of each 15-touch bout competed next for the gold, while the losers each competed in the bronze medal match.
Out of the 144 men and women fighting in the competition, Penn was represented by seven fencers. They each had to qualify through regional qualifiers and from their overall accomplishments throughout the season. Foil fencers Michael Galligan and Berkowsky fought on the men's side of the tournament, while Buechel, Eve Overton, Katelyn Sherry, Cassandra Frey, and Christina Kaneshige in the women's side. The teams were carried by Buechel, who finished fourth in the women's epee competition, and Berkowsky who finished third in the men's foil, earning him a bronze medal.
Galligan and Sherry placed sixth and ninth in their respective weapons.
