What do the Penn men's basketball and men and women's fencing teams have in common?
All of them will be competing for an NCAA championship in Texas this weekend, but, odds are, the fencers have a better chance of winning.
Today through Sunday, qualifying players from these teams will compete in a round-robin tournament in Houston to determine the Quakers' place on the national level. In addition, the top fencers from both teams will have a chance to earn individual medals.
For coach David Micahnik, placing well in the NCAA Championships is the ultimate goal for the season.
In total, seven fencers have qualified for the tournament out of a possible 12. Defending champion Notre Dame, Harvard and Penn State are the only teams that received 12 individual bids.
Team standings for the round-robin are determined by the total number of individual wins per team. Therefore, it's an advantage to have as many qualifiers as possible.
The seventh-ranked women's team will be represented in the foil by freshmen Abby Emerson and Ilana Sinkin, in the sabre by freshman Cassandra Partyka, and in the epee by junior Holly Buechel.
The freshmen triumvirate has exceeded expectations this season and made up for the team's overall lack of experience. Neither the women nor men's teams have a single senior.
Much of the Quakers' success this season can be attributed to the leadership of Buechel. Last year, she placed fourth in the National Championships and was named a First-Team All-American.
Micahnik said that Buechel -- this year's ECAC gold medalist in the epee -- will have a good chance to take home a medal this weekend.
Sophomore Zoya Abdikulova will also be available in the foil as an alternate.
Though the ninth-ranked men's team only has three representatives, each of them has the potential to place extremely well in the National Championships.
In the foil, sophomore Ron Berkowsky, who took home the bronze medal and First-Team All-American honors last year, is a clear favorite to medal again.
The other foilist, junior and Texas native Mike Galligan, received honorable mention All-American honors last year, and will provide valuable leadership as the team's oldest member.
Rounding out the qualifiers is freshman standout Matthew Kolasa, who will compete in the sabre. Sophomore Corey Purcell will serve as an alternate in the foil.
In order to be successful, Micahnik stressed the importance of adapting to opponents during the bouts. Since Penn has not faced many of the teams against which it will be fencing this weekend, the Quakers must rely on their experiences from the season to make the necessary adjustments.
"If everyone can finish in the top 10, we can place really well," Micahnik said.
Last year, the combined team finished seventh.
Although Penn has sent as many as 10 or 11 qualifiers to the National Championships in the past, Micahnik is generally confident about his smaller team's chances.
"We're as prepared as we're going to be," he said. "Trust me, we're not done yet."
