Nov. 6, 2011
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Members of the Penn State men's and women's fencing teams took to Philadelphia this weekend to compete in a tournament held by Temple University. The event spanned two days, Nov. 6-7. The Nittany Lions had a limited number of fencers at the event, which was one of their first major tournaments of the season.
Oksana Samorodov's first place finish was a "nice surprise" said Assistant Coach Wes Glon. Samorodov had the most dominant performance for the Nittany Lions on Saturday. Freshman Kane Gladnick took seventh in the women's foil with Alina Antokhina coming in fourteenth. In the women's saber Elizabeth Rapp walked away with eighth.
Pawel Puchalski and Alex Schneller dominated the men's saber with first and second place finishes, respectfully. Oliver Valdes came in a strong second in the men's epee and Gianni Di Cioccio, the solo Penn State fencer in the men's foil, finished in sixth.
Next up is the North American Cup in Austin, TX. The four-day event begins on Nov. 11, with action beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day. The names of those competing will be released early this week.