Jan. 27, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" This weekend, freshman Karol Metryka (Linden, N.J.) traveled to Phoenix to compete in the U.S. Fencing Junior Sabre World Cup. Metryka entered Saturday's competition as the 28th seed and battled hard to take home first place on the day.
Metryka fenced in a tough line-up, competing against 70 athletes from 16 nations. In addition to the stiff competition, the freshman sabrist also had to account for the tournament's unique set-up.
"The biggest difference between competing in a NCAA match versus a Junior World Cup is that most of the bouts are fenced to 15 touches, whereas at NCAA tournaments bouts are fenced to five touches," Metryka explained. "The 10 touch difference between these two types of bouts calls for a completely different strategy."
So, what's the secret to Metryka's success? Hard work in practice, and the support of the Nittany Lion faithful.
"Throughout the past few years, I've been finding a lot of success right after the New Year," Metryka admitted. "This time around, I think my training at Penn State and back home over break, put together with the support the fans gave me at the home meet, definitely propelled me to this result."
Metryka has hit his stride in recent weeks, going undefeated against four of five opponents at the Nittany Lions' final home meet two weeks ago. Because of his stellar performance, Metryka was selected as one of College Fencing 360's Primetime Performers of the Week for Jan. 11 - 17.
In addition to his Gold Medal, Metryka's previous top-results include a silver medal at the 2013 Cadet World Cup in Poland and a bronze medal at the 2014 Cadet World Championships in Bulgaria.
"It feels great to win and see all the hard work pay off, but this is just the beginning. With World Championships around the corner, this definitely gives me a great boost of confidence," Metryka added. "It was an unforgettable feeling winning a World [Championship] medal back in 2014, and I hope to replicate my performance at the 2016 Junior World Championship this April in France."
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.