Dec. 20, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For the past three days members of the Penn State men's and women's fencing teams took part in the third of six North American Cup competitions being held around the country this season. Nearly 700 fencers traveled to Atlanta to compete in the North American Cup. The athletes were competing for spots on the U.S. team to the World Fencing Championships in Catania, Italy, in November 2011. Members from both team's found great success pitting their way to top three rankings amongst some of the worlds most elite fencers.
Captain Aleksander Ochocki had an outstanding weekend capturing first in the men's sabre. In the semi-finals the Penn State junior managed to defeat his opponent, Sean Buckley, by one point with a final score 15-14. The final matchup pitted him against James Williams, whom he defeated 15-10.
In the women's saber Monika Aksamit placed second after being defeated by Ibtihaj Muhammad 15-13. The junior has had an outstanding season with the Nittany Lions and has shown herself to be a valuable asset to the team, who is on the quest for their third consecutive national title.
Doris Willette fenced her way to the finals after defeating opponent Emily Cross 15-12 in the semi-finals. The All- American took second after losing to Lee Kiefer 15-8 in the finals. Willette's brother, David, also had a phenomenal weekend rounding out the top three in the men's foil. The sophomore was defeated in the semi-finals by Jerry Chang, 15-12.
All four fencers have been a part of Penn States success this season and have also shared in the triumph of winning a national championship last year. Coach Emmanuil Kaidanov was extremely pleased with the performances his team displayed this weekend. The Nittany Lions will look to continue this success as they press forward this season in hopes of capturing a 13th national title for Penn State's fencing program.