March 23, 2012
Columbus, OH- The Nittany Lion fencers sit in a tie for fourth place after the second day of competition at the 2012 NCAA Championships. Monica Aksamit (Matawan, N.J.) and Margherita Guzzi Vincenti (Milan, Italy) each claimed Runner-Up in their event, while Alina Antokhina (Moscow, Russia) took third place in the Women's Foil. After the completion of the women's events, Penn State has a total of 81 points to hold a tie with St. John's. Ohio State and Princeton are tied for first place with 88 points each. Notre Dame holds third place with 82 points.
Women's Saber completed a strong championship effort with 32 points, the most of any team in the event. Monica Aksamit was defeated 15-12 in the gold medal match by Duke's Rebecca Ward. As a result, Aksamit took runner-up in the event and claimed her third All-American status. Askamit won 19 of her 22 bouts to claim the number 2 seed heading into the medal round. Aksamit defeated St. John's Anna Limbach in the semifinals 15-8 to earn a spot in the medal match.
Nicole Glon (State College, Pa.) defeated 13 opponents to finish in ninth place and was named an Honorable Mention All-American. Penn State was the only school to place two fencers in the top ten of the Women's Saber event.
Alina Antokhina claimed the number 2 seed in the medal round of the Women's Foil after winning 18 of 23 bouts. Antokhina lost a 15-9 decision in the semifinals to the eventual National Champion, St. John's Evgeniya Kirpicheva. Alina finished in third place to claim her first All-American status.
Margherita Guzzi Vincenti earned runner-up in the Women's Saber, losing a tough 15-14 gold medal match to Ohio State's Katarzyna Dabrowa. Guzzi Vincenti defeated 19 of her 23 opponents to take the number 1 seed going into the medal round. Margherita defeated Northwestern's Kate Cavanaugh 15-7 in the semifinal bout to reach the final. Guzzi Vincenti, a junior, is now a three-time All-American and has placed in the top three in each of her three years.
Also competing in the Women's Saber was Oksana Samorodov (San Antonio, TX), who placed 10th to be named an Honorable Mention All-American. Samorodov won 12 bouts, including 5 of 9 in rounds 5-7.
Penn State was the only school to place five fencers in the top ten of their event.
Day Three of the 2012 NCAA Championships will feature rounds 1-4 of the men's events.
Recaps and results from each day of the 2012 National Championship will be available on gopsusports.com. Please look at ncaa.com for more information.