March 25, 2012
Columbus, OH- Penn State Men's and Women's fencing finished fifth in the nation at the 2012 National Championships. Penn State ended the championships with 151 team points, including strong performances from Men's Saber, Women's Saber, and Women's Epee. Ohio State won the National Championship with 182 points. They were followed by Princeton with 161 points, Notre Dame with 160 points, and St. John's with 158 points.
Penn State ended the championships with a National Champion, 4 medalists, 5 All-Americans, and 3 Honorable Mention All-Americans.
Aleksander Ochocki (Clark, N.J.) defeated Harvard's Valentin Staller 15-11 in the gold medal match to win his 2nd National Championship in Men's Saber. Ochocki also won the title in 2009. The senior ends his stellar career a two-time National Champion and a four-time All-American. Ochocki entered the medal round as the number 2 seed after defeating 17 of his 23 opponents in the first seven rounds. He defeated Princeton's Philip Dershwitz 15-12 in the semifinals to setup his National Championship match.
Also impressive in the Men's Saber was Adrian Bak (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) who finished sixth to claim All-American status for the second time in his career. Bak improved on his seventh place finish in 2011. The sophomore won 14 bouts through the round robin portion.
Daniel Gomez-Tanamachi (Mexico City, Mexico) was named an Honorable Mention All-American after placing tenth in Men's Foil. Gomez-Tanamachi defeated 13 of his opponents. Freshman David Gomez-Tanamachi (Mexico City, Mexico) won 8 bouts to place 18th.
In the Men's Epee, Oliver Valdes (Southlake, TX) finished 16th while winning 9 bouts. Anthony Green (Stamford, Conn.) also competed in the Men's Epee, winning 9 bouts and placing 19th.
Penn State placed 8 fencers in the top ten of their event. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Princeton, and St. John's also had 8 fencers in the top ten of their event.