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UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.--November 2, 2008; On the final day of competition Penn State men's fencers come away with a clean sweep in all events. It began with junior Max Dettlinger (Louisville, Ky.) taking Penn State's first gold in the epee division.
Along with Dettlinger, Brian Heflich (East Setauket, N.J.) placed 11th and freshman Oliver Valdes (Southlake, Texas) finished 15th in the epee division.
Next junior Dan Bak (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) defeated University of Notre Dame's Barron Nydam for Penn State's second gold of the night. Receiving the bronze was freshman Aleksander Ochocki (Clark, N.J.). Also in the top 16 were Robert Thompson (Portland, Ore.) placing 7th and Chris Cheney (White Bluff, Tenn.) placing 10th. Ochocki, Thompson, and Cheney are all freshman who competed in their first collegiate bouts this weekend.
Finally, junior Nick Chinman (Boulder, Colo.) defeated Princeton University's Alex Mills for first place in foil. There were five other Penn State fencers who were in the top 16. Freshman Miles Chamley-Watson (Philadelphia, Pa.) finished 5th in his first collegiate debut. Other freshman Michael El-Saleh (Houston, Texas) finished right behind Chamley-Watson in 6th place.
Head Coach Emmaunuil Kaidanov could only say, "It was a good weekend." A good weekend it was. Penn State men's fencers end with gold in all three events, while women come away with two golds, one silver, and a bronze.
Next weekend Penn State women's and men's fencers will be on the road to St. Louis for the Junior/Cadet/Youth NAC competition.