UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The third-ranked women's team and fourth-ranked men's fencing teams wrapped up their fourth dual meet series of the season in Queens, N.Y. Both teams faced Columbia, Harvard, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and St. John's.
The day started off with a pair of top ranked wins against Harvard. The women defeated the fourth-ranked Crimson by a score of 19-8, while the men took down the third-ranked team, 15-2. Ryan Griffiths (Fair Lawn, N.J.), Jonathan Piskovatskov (Houston, Texas), and Inti Farfan-Bayerl (Morrison, Colo.) shined in the early going.
The second round featured top-ranked Notre Dame, and another pair of Penn State victories. The men won a close 14-13 dual and the women walked away with a 16-11 win. Isabella Zuzulo (Newtown, Pa.) won all three of her matches against the Fighting Irish.
The Nittany Lions did not have their way against the host team, St. Johns. Both teams dropped their matches to the Red Storm, 11-16.
Both teams dropped their matches against Columbia. The women narrowly fell 13-14, and the men dropped their dual, 11-16. Ryan Griffiths (Fair Lawn, N.J.), Jonathan Piskovatskov (Houston, Texas), and Devin Tafoya (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) led men's epee to an 8-1 finish but it was not enough to seal the deal.
The final series of the day came against Ohio State. The men pulled out a close win, beating the Buckeyes, 14-13. Sebastiano Bicego (Vicenza, Italy), Shane Iverson (Basking Ridge, N.J.), and Nicholas Prince (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished 7-2, defeating the seventh-ranked team, claiming their third win on the day. The women fell to the Buckeye's, 9-18.
Following this Saturday's action, the Nittany Lions will have a brief time off from competition, and will return on February 9th in Durham, North Carolina for a dual meet series hosted by Duke University. Fans can keep up with Penn State Fencing at GoPSUsports.com. Follow the team on Facebook at Penn State Fencing and on Twitter @pennstateFEN.
