UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State introduced the brand-new fencing facilities at the White Building on Friday, October 10, with an open gym practice and a moving tribute for former head coach Emmanuil G. Kaidanov, whom the gym is named for.
A project that was two years in the making and made possible through generous donations from sponsors and the Kaidanov family, Penn State’s new fencing gym is one of the finest collegiate gyms in the country and a new state-of-the-art facility for Penn State Athletics.
Coach Kaidanov was a fencing coach for over 40 years and spent over 30 years as head coach for the Nittany Lions. During his tenure, Kaidanov developed both the men’s and women’s teams into persistent NCAA Championship contenders. Kaidanov sported a combined 832-89 record (men 426-37, women 406-52) in 31 years as head coach.
Kaidanov led Penn State to 12 NCAA Fencing Championships, including multiple consecutive championship runs and championships in six straight seasons from 1995-2000.
“I think this room is an awesome continuation of a legacy. It’s beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” said Greg Kaidanov, coach Kaidnov’s son, who was a member of the Penn State fencing team from 1982-1986.
Greg Kaidanov was joined by his mother, Izabella Kaidanov, and Olga Chernyak, another Penn State fencing alumni, for the unveiling of the new gym.
When current head coach Matteo Zennaro first arrived at Penn State, he saw that the facilities the team was practicing in was not perfect, and that was one of his main priorities for the future of the program.
“I felt that this was one of the biggest steps we needed to take,” coach Zennaro explained. “When I came here for just my visit at the beginning… I saw the situation of the gym was not perfect, and the fencing gym is our business card [for recruits].”
Penn State is one week into the 2025 season after its season opener at the Nikki Franke Invitational at Temple University, and head coach Matteo Zennaro is excited to have his fencers practice in the new facilities to prepare for the new season.
The facilities feature 13 fencing strips with new scoring boxes for each strip, plus a light-up score box in the floor of the center strip – a feature that no other collegiate gym in the country has.
For coach Zennaro, he sees this gym having the biggest impact on the health and safety of his athletes.
“This floor is created for fencers,” coach Zennaro said. “It has anti-shock layers underneath, the quality of the strips and everything that has been used is the top [quality]… This will absolutely change the way we practice inside.”
As Penn State gears up for its opening competition on Saturday, the impact that these new facilities have on the team will set a tone for the upcoming season.
“We’re wishing them all the best and hoping they continue the Penn State fencing legacy and get back to winning more NCAA championships like we have in the past,” Chernyak said.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the Penn State Fencing team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateFen) and X/Instagram (@pennstatefen). Live updates during competitions regarding meet day information and other important notes will be posted on X.