PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The Penn State fencing teams closed out the 2026 Coach Nikki Franke Invitational at Temple University on Sunday, October 25, with nine fencers claiming top-10 finishes between the men’s and women’s squads. Daniel Iliffe, Enes Kalender, Han Luo and Andrea Zanardo also earned top-10 finishes in their respective weapons.
MEN’S FOIL
Zanardo led the men’s foil standings with a second-place finish. Zanardo fenced to an 8-2 record through both pool rounds to tie for the second-place seed in the elimination bracket, where he completed his collegiate debut in second place.
Chang Hee Han finished 17th overall after competing through the table of 32. Han tied for fourth place to advance to the direct-elimination bracket after fencing to a perfect 9-0 record in both pool rounds.
Alejandro Lorenzo made his collegiate debut with a 24th-place finish after competing through the table of 32. Lorenzo completed both pools with an 8-2 record to advance to the direct-elimination bracket as the 26th seed, including a perfect 5-0 record in the first round of pools.
MEN’S EPEE
Osama was victorious for the men’s epee team, winning the bracket over Simon Lioznyansky from the University of Pennsylvania in his first collegiate competition. Osama fenced to a 7-3 record in the pool rounds, including a perfect 5-0 record during the first round of pools before advancing to the direct-elimination bracket where he was tied for the fourth seed.
Julian Brodsky competed his collegiate debut with a 13th-place finish overall after competing through the table of 16. In the direct-elimination bracket, Brodsky competed as the 14th seed after finishing pool play with a 9-1 record, including a perfect 5-0 record in the first round of pools.
Robert Hu rounded out the men’s epee standings for the Nittany Lions with a 39th-place finish. Hu advanced to the direct-elimination bracket after completing both pool rounds with a 4-6 record.
MEN’S SABER
Luo topped the bracket with a third-place finish for the men’s saber team in his collegiate debut. Luo completed both pools with an 8-2 record and advanced to the direct-elimination bracket as the 11th seed.
Kalender claimed a fifth-place finish for the men’s saber squad in his collegiate debut. Kalender fenced to a perfect 10-0 record between both rounds of pools before advancing to the direct-elimination bracket as the No. 1 seed.
Iliffe closed out his collegiate debut with an eighth-place finish in the men’s saber bracket. Iliffe advanced to the direct-elimination bracket as the 26th seed after fencing to a 7-3 record in the pool rounds.
Jintao Yao earned a 16th-place finish in the men’s saber bracket in his collegiate debut. Yao completed the pools with an 8-2 record and advanced to the direct-elimination bracket as the 16th seed.
Jonathan Chen completed his collegiate debut with a 24th-place finish overall after advancing to the direct-elimination bracket with an 8-2 record in both pool rounds, including a perfect 5-0 record in the first round.
Tyson Deck advanced to the direct-elimination bracket after completing both rounds of pools with a 6-4 record. Deck completed the first competition of his sophomore campaign with a 34th-place finish overall in the men’s saber bracket.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions will travel back to Philadelphia for the Elite Invitational hosted by the University of Pennsylvania for their next competition beginning on November 14.
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