Fencers finish near top at Junior Olympics
Four Quakers fencers competed at the Junior Olympics in Hartford, Conn. this past weekend, and while no one received any medals, some came close.
Sophomore foilist Ron Berkowsky took fifth place out of a whopping 255 competitors. It marked the second time in the last two months he returned with a very successful showing in a major tournament. The sophomore also took home the bronze medal at the Junior World Cup in Budapest, Hungary.
Berkowsky is the top fencer in his weapon in the Ivy League at 14-1 for the year. Even though the team has only managed a 2-3 record in the conference, Penn has three of the top six foilists in the league.
No one else placed as high as the Penn star, but the three freshmen competing still did very well for themselves.
Matthew Kolasa placed 17th out of the 173 total fencers competing in the sabre, and in the epee, Sam Monk finished 28th out of the 234 in his weapon. The only women's fencer to make the trip was freshman foilist Abby Emerson, who placed 18th out of the 204 in all.
The men and women's fencing teams will be competing in the Intercollegiate Fencing Association competition this Saturday at the Quakers' own Hutchinson Gymnasium.
-- Josh Wheeling Gymnast honored for another solid week
Penn gymnast Kerri Lutfey won the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference's weekly Coaches' Choice award for her performance last Saturday against James Madison.
The freshman, who was the co-rookie of the week earlier this month, finished in first place in both the vault and the beam, putting up scores of 9.600 and 9.525, respectively.
The marks helped Penn beat the Dukes by almost four points, with a final score of 187.525-183.70.
The team next faces off in the Ivy Classic this Sunday in Providence, R.I.
So far in the Ivy League, Penn is 0-1, falling to Yale, 187.675 to 187.075.
-- J.W.
