No. 8 fencing team duels at Penn State multi-meet

The No. 8 fencing team beats No. 9 Penn in State College, Pa. The fencing team went 4-1 in team competition at the Penn State Multi-Meet on Saturday. After two victories, the Owls faced top-ranked

The No. 8 fencing team beats No. 9 Penn in State College, Pa.

The fencing team went 4-1 in team competition at the Penn State Multi-Meet on Saturday.

After two victories, the Owls faced top-ranked Penn State, against whom they struggled to find their rhythm.

The foil squad was the only team to find success against the Nittany Lions, with senior Alyssa Lomuscio and junior Mikayla Varadi each posting 3-0 records.

The Owls won their final two matches with 20-7 victories against North Carolina and Haverford College.

“Overall, we did well,” coach Nikki Franke said. “We handled North Carolina pretty well by dominating from the start.”

However, the biggest victory of the day for the Owls was against No. 9 Penn.

“We had a close match with Penn, and I saw many positive things from the girls,” Franke said.

The win gives Temple bragging rights within the city and a trophy that both teams exchange back and forth, depending on who comes out on top each year.

“It’s nice to have bragging rights for the city,” Franke said.

After coming away with a 4-1 record and beating cross-town rival Penn, the Owls now face a grueling schedule ahead.

Next weekend the team will travel to Evanston, Ill. for the Northwestern University Multi-Meet.

A combination of travel hours and major fencing institutions will prove a tough task for the Owls who will be facing undefeated Ohio State, Notre Dame, along with No. 4 Northwestern.

Franke said that the upcoming meet will provide a true test for the program with competition being at such a high level.

“I would like to see us come away with a ton of victories,” Franke said. “But Northwestern will be gunning for us and everyone is going to have to be on their game.”

Colin Tansits can be reached at conlin.tansits@temple.edu.

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