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(02/26/96 10:00am)
The Penn women's fencing team arrived at Princeton's Jadwin Gymnasium on Saturday hoping for a sweep of the Tigers and North Carolina. They had to settle for a split. Princeton freshman Caitlin Rich rallied the Tigers' attack by winning all four of her epee bouts, sparking a 17-15 Princeton victory. "Caitlin trains hard," Penn freshman Meredith Galto said. "And she is good at what she does." Sophomores Emmy Cho, Anastasia Gunzburg, and Olivia Leon, along with freshman Tammy Hancock slaughtered two Tigers each, as the balanced Quakers epee lineup broke even against Princeton, 8-8. Hancock, who suffered a knee injury two weeks ago against St. Johns, hit strongly, despite limited mobility on the strip. But the Tigers edged Penn in the epee event, 9-7, as Barrett Williams, the Tigers star freshman foil won three of four bouts. Penn senior captain Megumi Sakae was the only Penn foil to defeat Williams, en route to a perfect 4-0 record of her own in the Quakers' losing cause. The Red and Blue loss to Princeton was especially disappointing since the Tigers had fallen earlier in the season to Columbia, a squad the Quakers had defeated just two weeks ago. But Penn returned to the strip hours later and edged North Carolina, 17-15. The Red and Blue foil squad dominated the Tar Heels (12-4), as seniors Megumi Sakae (8-0 on the day) and Sarah Johns each concluded their regular season collegiate careers each with perfect 4-0 performances against UNC. Sakae and Johns have each had a lasting influence on the team. "Both are really helpful in practice," Galto said. "Megumi is an extremely strong fencer, and Sarah is strong too. They were always there to support us. It was their last match, and I guess they just really wanted to do well." Galto, and sophomore Cindy Kwan rounded out the foil squad's victories, defeating two Tar Heels a piece. For the second consecutive meet, junior Liz Cornfield substituted for the Quakers and ignited the epee squad, recording three of the team's five points. Sophomores Emmy Cho and Olivia Leon each had one win against North Carolina. The Quakers conclude the regular season with a 13-4 record (2-3 in the Ivies).
(02/22/96 10:00am)
Fencer Sarah Johns has all theFencer Sarah Johns has all theanswers, on and off the strip Freshman year, Sarah Johns decided to go through sorority rush. One of the sisters heard her accent and asked where she was from. "Australia," Johns replied. "Oh, do they speak English there?" the sister questioned. On several occasions, Sarah has been asked, "Do they really have anthropology at Penn?" and "As a fencer, can you beat up a guy in a dark alley?". But nobody can question Sarah Johns's dedication to fencing. Johns began her senior season with the Red and Blue with a career record of 28-12. Last season, her outstanding foil record earned her a second-team all-Ivy selection. Johns helped the Quakers to their second consecutive Ivy League championship last year. She also played a key role in Penn's NCAA finals birth two seasons ago. The most impressive win of Johns's collegiate career came two years ago. In a meet against Harvard, Penn trailed by a single bout with only two remaining. Johns fell behind four points to two, but came back to make the next three clean hits. Penn captain Megumi Sakae followed Johns by beating her opponent, giving the Quakers a victory that would help them eventually earn the conference title. Unlike many other collegiate fencers, Johns's parents did not put a foil in her hands at birth. As a child, her first love was judo. But Johns's martial arts career came to an abrupt end when the boys from her class decided to test her skills. "I was the only girl in the judo class," Johns said. "And the boys kind of liked to gang up on me." In fifth grade, she gave up judo, seeking a co-ed sport. Johns found a fencing class at her prep school. Or, should we say, the fencing world found Sarah Johns. At age 13, Johns and her family moved from Melbourne to San Francisco, where her fencing potential began to blossom. Although her high school did not have a team, Johns entered many regional competitions and gained a Junior Olympics bid in 1989. As a high school senior, Johns placed first in the California State Games and was recruited by Brandeis and Cornell. But Johns decided to attend Penn because of its Anthropology Department and fencing program. "As a freshman, [Penn fencing coach Dave] Micahnik really cleaned up my fencing style," Johns said. "And [teammate] Anne Gaita really made me feel comfortable on the team." However, "the California blond," as Micahnik affectionately refers to Johns, could not have had a more inauspicious start to her collegiate career. As freshmen, Johns and Sakae decided to fence at the Junior Olympics in Colorado. Unable to get a flight from the Philadelphia airport, the two decided to spend a night at Megumi's friend's house and then fly out from Newark, N.J., the next day. But a snowstorm hit that night. Megumi's friend's mother, who was driving the fencers to the airport, lost control of her car, and did a 360 into the road divide. "None of us were hurt," Johns said. "But we had to push the car all the way to a gas station in some little town. When we finally reached the gas station, there was a scary man with a funny limp. We asked him to call a cab, but he did not understand a word we said." Johns and Sakae managed to flag down a limousine and arrive at the airport on time. "Megumi and I really bonded during this experience," Johns said. "We have become close friends in four years. Other than my roommate, I see her more than anybody else." The precocious neophytes eventually made it to the Junior Olympics, beginning two outstanding careers. "Sarah has tremendous intensity," Micahnik said. "And when she controls it, she can beat nearly anybody. It is all a matter of her harnessing her energy." This is Sarah Johns's final season with the women's fencing team. Next year, she plans to study biological anthropology either in England or at Harvard. "If I go to Harvard, I definitely hope to go watch Penn compete next year," Johns said. "I would pull for Penn fencing all the way." And just for the record: Johns can not beat up a guy in a dark alley. Anthropology is a major at Penn. And they do speak English in Australia.
(02/13/96 10:00am)
W. Fencing team has a goodW. Fencing team has a goodday against top-ranked opponents As a freshman, Megumi Sakae got into hot water for telling a Daily Pennsylvanian reporter that the Penn women's fencing team "kicked ass" in its meet. Three years later, the All-American team captain was much more composed after her meet-clinching bout against Columbia. But no other words would have better described Saturday's overall performance at Pearson Hall by Sakae and the Quakers, who beat three of four top-ranked opponents. Heading into Sakae's final bout, the Quakers were trailing by a single point to the Lions. Sakae landed five direct hits on Columbia's Zela Ante, which created a 16-16 bout split. Penn won the tie-breaker on touches, 123-116. "Megumi Sakae came up big," Quakers freshman Meredith Galto said. "She pulled it out for us." However, the Quakers' victory was not a one-woman effort. Cindy Kwan defeated Columbia's prodigy, freshman Kaitlin Brown, who is a potential first-team all-America. And Penn epees Anastasia Gunzburg and Tammy Hancock also added three victories each. "We are very united as a team," Quakers senior Sarah Johns said. "We enjoy working with each other. It makes winning more fun. This is one advantage we have over other teams." "I was very proud of them," Penn coach Dave Micahnik said. "I was very happy with the result." But the Red and the Blue's romping did not end with a victory over Columbia. The Quakers (11-3) next defeated St. John's, 17-15. Sakae was perfect in her four bouts, while Gunzburg added three more clutch victories. Penn then took down host Temple, 19-13. Quakers junior Liz Cornfield, subbing for the injured Tammy Hancock, powered the epee charge with three hard-fought victories. Penn concluded the day by winning nine bouts to No. 2-ranked Penn State's 23 -- a strong showing against a team with a number of highly-touted Russian imports. Gunzburg, Johns and Sakae each contributed two wins against the top-notch opposition. Overall, the women's fencing team's effort Saturday was its finest of the season.
(02/06/96 10:00am)
The Penn women's fencing team's weekend got off to a rocky start when Harvard stunned the Quakers Saturday in the epee, 9-7, and handed the Red and Blue their second consecutive overall loss, 17-15. However, the Quakers rebounded against Ohio State and Northwestern, returning home with a two-meet winning streak. Entering the morning meet with Harvard, Penn coach Dave Micahnik anticipated the Crimson fencers to be far stronger in the foil event. Micahnik then spent much of his time at the match with the foil team, expecting the epee squad to win solo. Micahnik succeeded in rallying the foil squad, but the well-prepared Harvard foil team edged still Penn by a single match. Meanwhile, the epee fencers did not fare as well alone as Micahnik had hoped. The loss was by no means the end to the women's fencing season. In fact, it was just the first of three matches for the Quakers that day. "It is always disappointing when you lose a match within the Ivy League," Micahnik said. The team had to shift its focus to "taking down the two Midwestern teams." After bussing across Boston to Brandeis, Penn defeated Ohio State by a score of 10-6 in both the epee and the foil event. While team captain Megumi Sakae excelled with the heavy blade, freshman Tamara Hancock and sophomore Anastasia Gunzberg each compiled a perfect record in their four epee bouts. Later in the afternoon, Penn continued its winning ways by defeating Northwestern 22-10. While Micahnik knew his team would have no trouble in the foil event, he was particularly pleased with the 9-7 victory in the epee. The Wildcats had lost only once all season in epee before facing Penn. A perfect performance by Olivia Leon helped rally Penn to victory over an accomplished epee squad. But overall, Micahnik was not satisfied with the team's performance. "I would have liked to have said it's OK that we lost, but it's not," Micahnik said. "I wouldn't accept less than the best. I have too much respect for them."
