Oct. 31, 2015
PHILADELPHIA - The Penn State women's fencing team enjoyed a Halloween treat, securing top-10 finishes on each weapon on the first day of the 36th Temple Open. Saturday's action also saw freshman Anastasia Kalonji tie for third place on epee.
This is the second third place finish for Kalonji in open competition. The Rennes, France native also came in third place at the Nittany Lion Cup Open two weeks prior.
Penn State continued to see success on epee from its young talent. Freshman Nicolette Vigna (Thornwood, N.Y.) also secured a top-10 placement, finishing ninth on the day. Additionally, freshman Alissa Hofmann (Cambridge, Mass.) ended in 17th place and sophomore Julia Higson (State College, Pa.) finished in 35th.
Veteran junior Desree Ortega-Furgeson (Wyoming, Mich.) led the women's team to a top-10 finish in the foil event, securing a ninth place spot. Sophomores Kasey Iverson (Basking Ridge, N.J.) and Najiyyah Clark (Maplewood, N.J.) were not far behind, ending in 11th and 20th place, respectively.
The Nittany Lions held their own in the sabre event and managed to snag their third top-10 performance of the evening. Freshmen Erin McLoughlin (San Jose, Costa Rica) took home the 10th place spot, with DeAna Oliver (Montclair, N.J.) finishing in 15th place.
The Penn State men's fencing team will compete tomorrow starting at 8:30 a.m. to wrap up the Temple Open.
Check back at GoPSUsports for updates of this weekend's fencing action. 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.