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(09/10/96 9:00am)
Midfielder Read Goodwin, aMidfielder Read Goodwin, atransfer from Virginia, hopes toMidfielder Read Goodwin, atransfer from Virginia, hopes tolead Penn to the same heightsMidfielder Read Goodwin, atransfer from Virginia, hopes tolead Penn to the same heightshe eperienced at his last stop In senior Read Goodwin's youth, his football playing cousins used to tease him about playing a sport for wimps. His family hoped he could be transformed into a wide receiver, but neither his family nor a frustrating freshman year kept Goodwin from donning his soccer shorts each and every fall. Goodwin's collegiate playing career began at Virginia, where he was a substiture for the national champion Cavaliers. But Goodwin decided to transfer to Penn his sophomore year. "I just felt that since Virginia was the national champs that they had the best incoming freshmen, and I just wouldn't have much playing time," Goodwin said. Since Goodwin became a Quaker, he has started in every game as a midfielder, and, as this year's co-captain, he hopes to lead Penn to a winning record. With a large number of freshmen on the team this season and a new passing and control-oriented offense, Goodwin's experience will be crucial. "Read brings a great measure of consistency to the team," Penn coach George O'Neill said. "He has excellent sweeping and distribution skills." Goodwin says he tries to concentrate more on the defensive aspects of soccer, although this year he feels that he may have a more offensive role on the team. "Usually, I try to control the middle of the field," he said. "My main job is to pass the ball around and try to advance it up the field." Goodwin's most memorable game came in his sophomore year, when the Quakers beat then top-10 ranked Columbia. "Columbia came in kind of underestimating us," Goodwin said. "They drove in the morning of the game, which most teams don't usually do, and somehow we beat them 3-2. It was crazy." Last year, Goodwin felt the team was very competitive in the Ivy League, which is considered the second-best conference in the nation, next to the Atlantic Coast Conference, which Virginia belongs to. "A lot of games last year, we were real close," Goodwin said. "We just always seemed to come out on the losing end." At a game at Brown last year, a rainstorm turned the field to mud. Penn had two open shots on goal after the goalkeeper had fallen down, but both of the Quakers' shots on the open net got stuck in the mud. "The field was so muddy that you couldn't run 10 feet without falling down," Goodwin said. "We ended up losing that game, 2-0, but it was a real close game." Goodwin has had good like avoiding injury on the soccer field. However, he seriously injured himself once while playing basketball. He managed to tear nearly every ligament in his right ankle, which left him in a cast for six weeks. "Since I hurt my ankle so bad that one time, it's been so weak that I sprain it pretty easily," Goodwin said. After a 5-11-1 season in 1995 and a 6-8-1 record his sophomore year, Read is optimistic about the coming campaign. "The week before practice started, the players on the team went down to Ocean City [N.J.] to practice," Goodwin said. "I think practicing down there and hanging out all the time together really helped our team." With Penn's season opener against Philadelphia Textile just three days away, the Quakers will discover how well the bonding experience worked. "I'm really looking forward to it," Goodwin said, "but Textile has already played four games this season, so they have an advantage. But if we come out hard, I think we'll win."
(03/05/96 10:00am)
The Penn men's fencing team traveled to Boston this weekend figuring to finish in the top three at the Intercollegiate Fencing Association championships. But things did not go exactly as planned. Due to the surprising strength of Yale and Harvard -- who finished in third and fourth places respectively -- Penn had to settle for fifth, though the Quakers were only three bouts away from the coveted third-place trophy. The foil team, which Quakers coach Dave Micahnik felt had the best chance to win a weapons title, finished a disappointing fourth, but only two bouts out of first place. Penn's Nathan Anderson went 4-4 in his bouts in the A pool, while Adam Brown led the foil team, winning seven of his eight bouts in the B pool. However, Micahnik said there were two things which undermined the foil team's chances for victory -- specifically mentioning some calls from the director. "There were a couple of controversial bouts taken away from Anderson," Micahnik said. "And it was also a case of some people over trying." The sabre team, which was forced to compete without its star sabre George Kalmar, finished fifth. Kalmar was unable to compete due an extreme fracture in his right ankle. "Not to put the sabre team down," Micahnik said, "but George makes a big difference, being a three-time All-American." On the second day of the competition, only individual titles were at stake. Overall, epee Alex Edelman's second-place finish was the highest of any Penn fencer. "Edelman had a wonderful meet," Micahnik said. "If he goes to the NCAAs he'll do all right." Foilists Anderson and Brown placed seventh and eighth, respectively, while Sandy Agashiwala captured third in the sabre competition. Micahnik refused to speculate on how the tournament will affect the chances of individual Penn fencers getting bids to the NCAAs. "I can only guess who will be asked to nationals," Micahnik said. "People who have possibilities are those who fenced well in the regular season and who performed well at IFAs." Normally a fencer has to compete at the IFAs to get a bid for the NCAAs. However, Kalmar -- who missed the last two tournaments of the season -- will be able to appeal to the NCAA committee because of his late-season injury.
(03/01/96 10:00am)
This weekend, another men's fencing trophy may return to Penn. The Quakers foil team is among the favorites to bring home a victory at the Intercoastal Fencing Association Championships. If Penn wins, it will earn the Little Iron Man -- the IFA's foil-team trophy, the oldest intercollegiate trophy in the nation. The Quakers, who went 11-4 this year, hope to place in the top three as a team this weekend. "We should be in the money," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "If things go as well as possible." The Quakers' strongest competition will likely come from Yale and St. John's, both of whom won close victories over Penn. But the Quakes will be without their premier fencer, sabre George Kalmar. Kalmar injured his right ankle last Friday during a pickup basketball game and was diagnosed with a extreme fracture. "Kalmar would make a huge difference," Micahnik said. "We have a definite handicap without him." Freshman Rusty Boling, who performed well against Princeton and North Carolina last weekend, will start in place of Kalmar. Due to a scheduling conflict with another regional meet, only nine men's teams will compete at the IFAs, which are being held at MIT this year. The IFAs also have a different format from most regular-season meets. Fencers first compete as a team on Saturday and must perform well enough to be invited to compete on Sunday, in the individual bouts. The foil team, which has lost only one meet all year, is led by Nathan Anderson and Adam Brown. Penn's lone loss in the foil section came against Penn State, which is not competing at the IFAs. During the IFAs, each weapons team will have three fencers, and the teams will be divided into A, B and C pools. Anderson and Brown have very similar records, and Micahnik is undecided as to who will compete in the A pool for the Quakers. "Both have had strong seasons," Micahnik said. "And it just depends who will do better competing against other fencers in the A pool." Micahnik feels all of his fencers have a legitimate shot of moving on to the second day of competition. "If everyone fences up to potential, they have a chance to qualify for Sunday," he said.
(02/26/96 10:00am)
The Penn men's fencing team could not have been any closer to the Ivy League championship. Its14-13 loss to Princeton Saturday in the last bout took the Quakers out of the title race, making Yale and Columbia co-champions. Penn was forced to go without one of its best fencers, sabre George Kalmar, who may have fractured his ankle during a pickup basketball game Friday night. Kalmar was unable to put any weight on the ankle Saturday morning. "At this point I think it's unreasonable to believe that George will return in time for IFAs [a championship meet involving Eastern schools]," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "Hopefully he'll be ready in time for the NCAAs." The sabre team still managed to pull together and beat the Tigers, 5-4. Freshman Rusty Boling and sophomore John Demas both won two of their three bouts to help the Quakers win the sabre portion of the meet. The foil team also had a strong performance, winning 6-3. Senior captain Nathan Anderson led Penn, winning all three of his bouts in his last Ivy League dual meet. But the Quakers epee team lost, 7-2. "That was where the meet went," Micahnik said. With the overall score knotted at 13, Penn junior Alex Edelman stepped to the stripe against the Tigers' Marco Acerra with one last opportunity to win the meet. "I asked him if he wanted to be last, and he said he did," Micahnik said. "He handled the pressure alright. He just didn't win the bout. "Anytime it's close it's disappointing. There's always a lot of second guessing in close ones." Penn was able to win against the North Carolina, 15-12. The epee team, which did poorly against Princeton, rebounded and won, 5-4, against the Tar Heels. The Quakers sabres lost 6-3 to North Carolina. "I don't know what happened to the sabres," Micahnik said. "I don't know why their sabres were underestimated." Foilists Adam Brown and Anderson both went 3-0 to lead the Quakers. Their individual performances may have also secured invitations to the NCAAs. "The two foils are going to be alright as long as they have decent performances at IFAs," Micahnik said.
(02/22/96 10:00am)
The son of an Olympic silverThe son of an Olympic silvermedalist fencer, George KalmarThe son of an Olympic silvermedalist fencer, George Kalmaris one of the nation's best sabres George Kalmar wants the Ivy League championship; he's won everything else. "I no longer care about personal goals," Kalmar said, "just as long as the team does well." Kalmar began fencing when he was 11 years old, with his father doubling as his coach. At age 17, he had what he calls his best year. He was the 19-and-under national champion and placed 20th at the Junior World Championships. Kalmar's father, who won a silver medal fencing for Hungary in the 1968 Olympics, pushed George into fencing, even though he wasn't really interested in it. "I was an American kid," Kalmar said. "I wanted to play football, baseball, basketball. My father thought I would get something out of fencing that I wouldn't out of the other sports. "I never really had a passion for fencing, but somehow it got into me and it's a part of me now." In the past three NCAA championships, Kalmar has placed second, third and fifth, respectively. He feels that last year was his best overall year -- even though it was his lowest placing at the NCAAs -- since he only lost two bouts during the regular season. The low point of his college career came during his freshman year at the NCAAs. That year it was possible to win not only individual and team titles, but also weapons team titles. The Quakers sabre team had made it to the finals and faced their archrival, Columbia. Earlier this year, the same director approached Kalmar at a tournament and admitted he had probably made the wrong call on that particular touch. "That's the only thing that pisses me off about fencing," Kalmar said. "If you argue a call, even if you don't think you're right, you can get the director to throw the next questionable touch your way." Kalmar said the reputation of his father helped him earn his own reputation as a great fencer. "Everyone knew my father, and he was the master of acting," Kalmar said. "And now every once in awhile the directors will throw me a touch because they think I'm better." According to Penn coach Dave Micahnik, Kalmar's greatest effect on Penn's team is that he establishes an attitude, both for the Quakers and their opponents. "You put him out on the stripe first, and you know he's going to win," Micahnik said. "Your opponent knows he can't win, and it demoralizes his entire team." As to Kalmar's influence on the younger Penn fencers, Michanik said: "Sometimes he beats up on them, and none too gently. But it's sort of like a big brother." Kalmar, who feels he's more notorious than famous in the fencing world said, "I like to make things fun, see how far I can push the limits." Micahnik agreed. "Sometimes George is contrary just for the heck of it. It doesn't bother me." Kalmar attempts to use his reputation to intimidate his opponents. "Occasionally, on one touch I'll hit them really hard just to remind them of who I am." According to Kalmar, he was a better overall fencer when he was younger than he is now. "I got out of shape, I used to run in the mornings and practice all the time," he said. "I guess college took a toll on my fencing career." Looking back, Kalmar is glad his father pushed him into the world of fencing. "I did get something out of it," he said. "I got into college, and I was the best."
(02/13/96 10:00am)
M. Fencing's 14-13 victory allowsM. Fencing's 14-13 victory allowsthe Quakers to give back anM. Fencing's 14-13 victory allowsthe Quakers to give back anobscene consolation award toM. Fencing's 14-13 victory allowsthe Quakers to give back anobscene consolation award toColumbia after eight long years A tradition began a few years ago in the bitter rivalry between the men's fencing teams of Penn and Columbia. After each dual meet between the two, a wooden trophy was awarded to each team. Several years ago, while browsing at a flea market, Quakers coach Dave Micahnik found a trophy which had a man flashing his middle finger to the world. Tradition holds that the loser is awarded this trophy, while the winner receives a similar wooden trophy which has a man flashing a "V" for victory. For the first time in eight years, the Quakers finally got the victory trophy. Penn beat the Lions, 14-13, Saturday at Temple. Columbia had previously been undefeated in Ivy League competition, and with the win, the Quakers have now put themselves in place for a share of the conference title. All Penn has to do is beat Princeton in two weeks, and it will be guaranteed half of the championship. Unfortunately for the Quakers, their weekend was not perfect, as they lost to St. John's and Penn State. But Quakers coach Dave Micahnik was not disappointed with his team's efforts over the weekend. "Our quest this season was to beat Columbia," he said. "I was sick and tired of losing to them." In the meet versus the Lions, Penn's Nathan Anderson, George Kalmar, John Wright and Alex Edelman all went 2-1 to lead the Quakers to the victory. "Kalmar fenced well enough to win all three of his bouts. It was just bad luck that he didn't," Micahnik said. Quakers freshman epee John Wright has also been a "revelation," according to Micahnik. Wright beat Columbia's Ryan Shams, a national under-20 champion, who is reported to be the best freshman epee in the nation. Micahnik's only criticism of his team was that he felt they should have gotten more wins from the sabres. In Penn's meet against St. John's, the Quakers lost 16-11 overall. "There were a couple of key matches that could have gone our way," Micahnik said. "They weren't good enough to take seven from us in the epee." Penn also won the foil portion of the meet, 6-3. All three foil losses came at the hands of the Red Storm's Kevin Moroney, who has been a national senior finalist. Penn lost two bouts in the second round of the sabre that the Quakers were capable of winning. According to Micahnik, Kalmar, who lost 5-4, and sophomore Sanjiv Agashiwala, who fell 5-2, both could have won their bouts. Against Penn State, ranked No. 1 in the nation in the coaches' poll, the Quakers predictably lost 20-7. The Nittany Lions have a number of world-class fencers who trained in Russia. "Penn State is just a really tough team," Micahnik said.
(02/06/96 10:00am)
Penn improves to 9-1 with weekend sweep At its last Ivy League dual meet, the Penn men's fencing team fell one bout short of a victory against Yale. The Quakers were determined not to allow that to happen again when they competed against Harvard Saturday in Cambridge, Mass. The Red and Blue got the one win that eluded them against the Elis and more, easily defeating the Crimson, 18-9. The Quakers excelled in a format that was a little unusual, according to Penn coach Dave Micahnik. "They ran one weapon at a time, instead of all three simultaneously," Micahnik said. "And our sabres were able to jump out 6-3 before anyone else got on, which I think gave us a big advantage." Epees Ed Cleaver, Nathan Anderson and Sanjiv Agashiwala all went undefeated to lead Penn against Harvard. Despite the team's easy victory, Cleaver thought there was room for improvement. "We were a little too overconfident, and I think we could have done better," he said. The Quakers' success carried over to its tournament against MIT, Yeshiva, Ohio State and Notre Dame Sunday. Penn went undefeated in its four matches to improve its record to 9-1. Penn's greatest victory came against fencing powerhouse Notre Dame, as the Quakers won by one bout, 14-13. Penn was led by the strong performance of foilist Adam Brown, who lost only one bout in the four meets he competed in. "Notre Dame had some good people, but we were really pumped up," said Cleaver, who went 2-1 against Notre Dame. Penn was surprised at the presence of one Harvard foil fighter, Greg Chang, who took a year off to train in Paris. Chang was responsible for both of Penn's losses in the foil, but Micahnik said he was surprised Chang was not even better. Ohio State also did little to challenge the Quakers, who disposed of the Buckeyes, 20-7. Adam Brown again went undefeated, losing only four touches. "Ohio State started out strongly," Micahnik said. "But we got them going away." Penn summarily beat both Yeshiva and MIT by identical scores of 23-4. Micahnik said he was surprised MIT did not put up a stronger fight. Against an inexperienced Yeshiva squad, Penn sat five starters to give opportunities to their younger fencers, such as Jit Seng Oon and Roland Backes. "It was the first time in my memory that we beat Notre Dame," Micahnik said.
(02/02/96 10:00am)
With a hectic weekend ahead, the Penn men's and women's fencing teams hope to foil their opponents plans for victory. In the well-balanced Ivy League, every dual meet is important, and since both Quakers teams have excellent chances to win the Ivy League title, each meet takes on added significance. The women's team, with a record of six wins and one loss, heads into their upcoming weekend schedule with high expectations. The Quakers face Harvard in an Ancient Eight dual meet Saturday at 10 a.m. and later that afternoon will have to contend with Ohio State and Northwestern at Brandeis University. The men's fencers also compete against Harvard Saturday at 10 a.m., while Sunday they take on Ohio State, MIT, Yeshiva and Notre Dame at MIT. Both teams are coming off disappointing losses to Yale last weekend. The men barely dropped a meet to the Elis, falling by a score of 14-13 after losing the final match on the last touch. It was Penn's first loss of the season after four straight wins. The women's team came equally close to victory, but, like the men, fell one bout short. The Quakers epee team dominated Yale, but it was not enough to overcome the foil team's 12-4 loss. Having finished last season ranked No. 7 in the nation, both teams hope to come away from this weekend undefeated. "Harvard has some good fencers," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "[But they] didn't have enough depth to challenge." The men will face their toughest competition from national-power Notre Dame. The Quakers will be led by captain Nathan Anderson, who leads the foil squad, and 1995 Ivy League sabre champion George Kalmar, who Micahnik described as "ultra-macho." Against the Crimson, Penn's biggest challenge will come from Paul Baez, Harvard's top epee. Baez will pose a challenge for Penn's two best epee fencers, Alex Edelman and Ed Cleaver. Edelman was also concerned with Ohio State, which he says usually has at least one experienced foreign import. The women, who compete only in foil and epee (men compete in sabre, foil, and epee), will receive their greatest challenge from Northwestern. "Northwestern is somewhat of a sleeper team, and they can be very troublesome," Micahnik said. "I don't intend to take them lightly."
