UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion men's fencing team closed out the Temple Open today in Philadelphia. Penn State's freshmen were impressive as five new members of head coach Wes Glon's squad finished within the top-ten in their respective weapons.
Penn State saw a great start to the day with all three of their epee fencers placing within the top ten. Freshman Ryan Griffiths (Fair Lawn, N.J.) led the group by tying for third place, followed closely by teammates Devin Tafoya (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Elias Cole (Chappaqua, N.Y.). Tafoya placed fifth and Cole placed tenth.
The men's foil team followed up on that success with another top-five finish. Freshman Ian Neilson (Elkins Park, Pa.) finished in fifth place. Petar Agatonovic (White Plains, N.Y.) and Andrew Grass (Burke, Va.) finished in 20th and 26th, respectively.
Penn State's saber squad brought the total of top-ten finishes on the day to six, adding a fifth and a ninth-place finish. Sophomore Inti Farfan-Bayerl (Morrison, Colo.) and freshman Owen Prevey-Sullivan (Redding, Conn.) finished in fifth and ninth place, respectively, with Stephen Matthews (Denver, Colo.) placing in 22nd.
Penn State will be in action when they return home to host the Penn State Garret Open on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3-4. Fans can up with Penn State Fencing at GoPSUsports.com. Follow the team on Facebook at Penn State Fencing and on Twitter @pennstateFEN