Fencing coach Dave Micahnik knows what his teams need to improve on in the future.
But as for the present, mixed results were the outcome at the Philadelphia Invitational Multi-Meet at Hutchinson Gymnasium this weekend.
The men's and women's teams each got what they expected, as both were weak in the sabre and strong in the foil.
The women amassed a 5-1 record in the meet, while the men finished 3-2.
The women defeated Drew, Temple, North Carolina, Rutgers and Duke, and the men knocked off Johns Hopkins, Duke and Drew.
The only loss for the women came in a 17-10 decision to Northwestern. The men lost to Rutgers, 16-11 and North Carolina, 14-13.
"Most years we wouldn't lose those two," a disappointed Micahnik said of the men's losses. "This wasn't one of those years."
The sabre proved to be a particular liability in the Quakers' losses. Against Rutgers, the men were swept 9-0 in that weapon.
"In the sabre, [the men] have two experienced fencers and two less experienced ones," Micahnik said. "We have to sort out what the pecking order is."
Despite the losses, Penn did accomplish one of its goals: giving its many freshmen experience that Micahnik hopes will be invaluable.
The meet was a pressure-packed and at times raucous affair that could have flustered even the most composed fencer.
Yet the freshmen, particularly Ben Weider and Sam Monk, showed particular strength in the epee, to Micahnik's delight.
Micahnik had previously expressed concern that the freshmen would have to adapt to collegiate fencing. But "as the day went on, you could see the freshmen getting better and better," he said.
There was some question about whether the women could overcome the preseason loss of Katelyn Sherry, the team's leader and top talent in the sabre. However, their depth in the other two weapons propelled the Quakers to a performance that pleased Micahnik.
"They did well, but we also have to work out the order in the sabre," he said. "But the foil was very strong."
The Quakers benefited from that strong showing in the foil against Duke, which beat the Quakers 7-2 in the sabre. Penn outlasted the Blue Devils, winning by a 14-4 margin in the other two events.
In light of this weekend's results, Micahnik knows that his teams -- particularly the men -- might not be able to reach the lofty goals they set at the beginning of the year.
"We've got to move on," he said. Today "we have a day off, and then [tomorrow, we'll go] back to work. We'll have individual lessons [tomorrow] and Wednesday."
The Penn men will have to work hard to prepare for next week's meet, which includes matchups against Haverford and national powerhouse Penn State.
While they can build off of some positives from this weekend, it will take more than just intensity to return the team back on the track toward its pre-season aspirations.
