Oct. 18, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; October 18, 2015 ââ'¬" Penn State's first home event came to a close today, seeing another successful day of competition. Penn State fencers swept the women's foil and epee events and came close to a full sweep in sabre.
Just like yesterday's competition, all fencers competed unattached and represented themselves, not their school or club.
Junior Desree Ortega-Furgeson (Wyoming, Mich.) took home first place in the women's foil, with sophomores Kasey Iverson (Basking Ridge, N.J.) and Najiyyah Clark (Maplewood, N.J.) ending the day in second and third, respectively.
Spectators saw an exciting showdown in women's epee, with Penn State fencers finishing in the top-three spots. Junior captain Jessie Radanovich (Tollhouse, Calif.) and senior Jessica O'Neill-Lyublinsky (North Salem, N.Y.) went head-to-head for first place. After a close, back and forth bout, Radanovich managed to edge O'Neill-Lyublinsky with a score of 15-14 to secure the top spot.
O'Neill-Lyublinsky finished second on the day and freshman Anastasia Kalonji (Rennes, France) came in third place to round out the epee event. The Nittany Lions weren't quite as lucky in the sabre event. Although the team did not see another full sweep, Penn State fencers were able to secure second and third place finishes.
Sophomore Kathryn Charpin (Setauket, N.Y.) battled hard in the final round, but ultimately fell 15-12 to take the second place spot. In the deciding bout for third place, freshman Deana Oliver (Montclair, N.J.) faced off against fellow Penn Stater, junior Teodora Kakhiani (Tbilisi, Georgia). After a tough bout, Kakhiani managed to come out on top, ending the day in third place.
Following a very successful two-day tournament, the Penn State fencing team will have a bye week to prepare for the Temple Open Saturday, Oct. 31 and Sunday, Nov. 1.
Penn State fans are encouraged to follow Penn State fencing via Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/pennstateFEN, on Penn State Fencing's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pennstatefencing and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/pennstateFEN.