Poughkeepsie, N.Y: December 6, 2008-- In what seemed to be tough bouts all around, Penn State women went 4-0, while Penn State's men went 5-0. Not only did they come away victorious but they also emerged with their coach's 700th win. Monica Aksamit's (Matawan, N.J.) record at Vassar was 12-0 in the saber division, defeating teams such as Vassar, Princeton, Harvard, and New York University. Miles Chamley-Watson's (Philadelphia, Pa.) record was 12-0 as well in the foil division.
Freshman Nina Westman (Kalmar, Sweden) also did remarkably well posting a 10-1 record with her only loss being to Harvard. Also in the epee division Keri Byerts (Webster, N.Y.) posted a 9-2 record with her only losses going to Princeton and Harvard.
In the women's foil division Allison Glasser's (Piedmont, Calif.) record was 8-2 and teammate Doris Willette (Lafayette, Calif.) had an 8-1 record with her only loss being Harvard.
The total recorded wins and losses for Penn State women against Vassar were 26-1, against Princeton 21-6; against Harvard 17-10; and against New York University 25-2. Aksamit was the first to give Head Coach Kaidanov his 700th win.
Miles Chamley-Watson (Philadelphia, Pa.) was the second to do this for his coach. In the foil division Nick Chinman (Boulder, Colo.) also posted a good record of 10-3. Sophomore Samuel Perkins (Petaluma, Calif.) had an identical record Saturday.
In men's saber freshman Aleksander Ochocki (Clark, N.J.) had a great record of 13-1 with his only loss being to New York University. Junior Daniel Bak (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) went 8-2 on Saturday. In men's epee it was senior James Moody (Denver, Colo.) who emerged with the best record of the division, 7-5.
The total recorded wins and losses for Penn State men against Vassar were 21-6; against Princeton 17-10; against Harvard 18-9; against New York University 15-12; and against Sacred Heart 22-5.
After winning 22 NCAA individual titles and having 10 NCAA combined Championships, Coach Kaidanov can add 700 wins to his records. Penn State men's and women's fencing are on the road again this weekend to Colorado Springs, Colo. for the Colorado Open.