March 8, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State Nittany Lion fencers head to Easton, Pa. this weekend for The Mid-Atlantic South Regional, hosted by Lafayette. The team will continue its efforts seeking a third National Championship in the last four years. Penn State has won twelve National Championships under Head Coach Emmanuil Kaidanov. The Regional will be held in the Kirby Sports Center on Saturday, March 10 beginning at 8 a.m. Twenty-four Penn State fencers will compete to qualify for Nationals, held March 22-25 in San Antonio, TX.
Women's Epee will look to continue a strong season by sending three 40-match winners to the Regional, led by two-time All-American and 2010 National Champion Margherita Guzzi Vincenti (Milan, Italy) who carries a 44-10 record. Joining Vincenti will be Oksana Samorodov (San Antonio, TX), Anne Stephenson (Washington, D.C.), and Alyssa Vongries (Bloomington, Minn.).
Alina Antokhina (Moscow, Russia) will try to build on a strong freshman campaign, holding a 32-13 record, in the Women's Foil. Fellow freshman Nicole Gladnick (Wynnewood, Pa.) carries a 34-18 record.
Women's Saber will feature two-time All-American Monika Aksamit (Matawan, N.J.), who enters the Regional with a record of 44-11. Olivia Benedek (State College, Pa.), Nicole Glon (State College, Pa.), and Jessica Russo (Wayne, N.J.) will also compete in the event.
Senior Oliver Valdes (Southlake, TX) will lead the Nittany Lions in the Men's Epee after a 30-match win season. Anthony Green (Stamford, Conn.), Jeffrey Miller (Centennial, CO), and Vernon O'Garra (Huntington Station, NY) will join Valdes in Easton.
Brothers Daniel and David Gomez-Tanamachi (Mexico City, Mexico) will look to continue strong seasons in the Men's Foil, in which they went 24-8 and 34-13, respectively. Michael El-Saleh (Houston, TX) will carry a 34-11 record into the Regional.
Three-time All-American and 2010 National Champion Aleksander Ochocki (Clark, N.J.) will lead the Nittany Lions in the Men's Saber, bringing a 38-10 record. Adrian Bak (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) has also had a strong season, posting a record of 30-17.
At the conclusion of the Regional, the results will be posted on gopsusports.com. For more information on the NCAA Mid-Atlantic South Regional, please visit NCAA.com.