UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The fourth ranked Penn State men's fencing team concluded its fifth dual meet series of the season today in Durham, N.N.C.
Head Coach Wes Glon led the men to a 3-2 finish on Saturday. The men defeated Brandeis, North Carolina and MIT, but fell to Duke and Notre Dame.
In their first match and win of the day, the men defeated Brandeis, 14-13. Strong efforts by saber fencers Ethan Mullennix (San Francisco, Calif.) and Michal Wisniowski (Clark, N.J) helped seal the early win for the Nittany Lions.
The men did not have as much luck in their following two duals against the host, Duke, and Notre Dame. They dropped both series', 11-16, to the tenth ranked Blue Devils and fifth ranked Fighting Irish.
The men got back on track during their dual against UNC, defeating the Tar Heels 19-8. Epee finished 7-2, while foil and saber both finished 6-3. Jonathan Piskovatskov (Houston, Texas) and Inti Farfan-Bayerl(Morrison, Colo.) led the way, both going 3-0. Elias Cole (Chappaqua, N.Y.) and Felipe Rosario (Maplewood, N.J.) also put on a strong display and both finished 2-0.
In their final match of the day, the Nittany Lions defeated MIT, 20-7. All weapons were dominant, especially epee fencer Devin Tafoya (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and saber fencer Chase Pflueger (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), both who struggled in earlier rounds.
The Duke matches will be available via ACC Network Extra and can be viewed using WatchESPN.com or via the ESPN mobile app. Due to the advent of the new ACC Network these matches are likely only able to be seen for viewers whose TV provider has the ACC Network as a part of their TV package.
The sixth ranked Penn State women's fencing team will continue action tomorrow when they'll fence against MIT, Brandeis, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Duke. Fans can keep up with Penn State Fencing at GoPSUsports.com. Follow the team on Facebook at Penn State Fencing and on Twitter @pennstateFEN.
