FOR LIVE SCORING / FULL AND FINAL RESULTS ALL WEEKEND LONG, CLICK HERE
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State Nittany Lions men's fencing team completed the final day of the men's side of the NCAA Championships. Penn State senior Karol Metryka (Linden, N.J.) claimed his first NCAA championship after defeating Princeton's Daniel Kwak, 15-12, in the championship round.
At the end of the men's competition, Penn State is in second place with 84 points, which gives them a six-point lead over Notre Dame. Columbia currently holds first place with 90 total points.
Epee was the first to finish on the day, as all three weapons began their final two rounds simultaneously. Anton Piskovatskov (Houston, Texas) was the first Nittany Lion to be given All-American honors after falling just short of a chance to fence in the semifinals with his 15-8 record and a fifth-place finish. Ryan Griffiths (Fair Lawn, N.J.) finished 18th in epee with a 10-13 record.
The next event to finish on the day was men's foil. Sebastiano Bicego (Vicenza, Italy) found himself in a similar situation as Piskovatskov falling just short of a top-four, placing fifth after going 16-9 and becoming the second Penn State fencer to earn All-American honors. Mohamed Hassan (Saint Louis, Mo.) finished 11th in foil with a 12-11 record.
The saber closed out the men's side of the competition. Metryka, with his championship, became the seventh member of the Penn State men's saber fencing team to win a national title. Metryka only lost four bouts throughout the men's competition finishing with a record of 19-4. Marcel Dolegiewicz (Park Ridge, Ill.) finished 10th in saber with a 12-11 record.
The 2019 NCAA Fencing Championships continue at the Wolstein Center tomorrow starting at 9 a.m. The women's competition will start with foil and epee. The Championships rolls through Saturday and Sunday with the women's competitors. Fans can keep up with Penn State Fencing at GoPSUsports.com. Follow the team on Facebook at Penn State Fencing and on Twitter @pennstateFEN.