Previewing Penn Men’s And Women’s Fencing At The Ivy League Championships
Previewing Penn Men’s And Women’s Fencing At The Ivy League Championships
Blog Article
The Palestra will host the Ivy League Fencing Championships for the first time. Credit: Weining Ding
The iconic Palestra has seen its fair share of athletic greatness in the past century. From appearances of superstars like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant to multiple Quaker upset victories over Big 5 and Ivy League rivals, the Cathedral of College Basketball has had a truly illustrious past. But one competitive event has evaded the halls of the Palestra until now.
From Feb. 8-9, the Quakers will host the Ivy League Fencing Championships, arguably the most prestigious collegiate fencing competition outside of the NCAA Championships. Penn men’s and women’s fencing will compete against the Ancient Eight during this two-day event in Philadelphia to crown a conference champion.
"As a young fencer growing up, everyone talked about the Ivy Championships as a key part of Division 1 fencing. The screams are a little bit louder, the pressure is a little bit more intense, and all in all, it is THE college event for fencing," said senior men’s foilist Bryce Louie.
“When I think of the Ivy championships, the first thing that comes to mind is history,” Louie said. “This competition, in particular, for our team and for the program as a whole, is the biggest this season. It's very competitive."
While the vast majority of Quakers' matches take place at the Tse Center, the Palestra will surely bring an added element of excitement.
“I'm just in awe,” Louie said. “For a sport like fencing that doesn't get as much publicity, it is great knowing that our school cares about it to the point where they'll offer their most famous venue. It means a lot to me, the team, and the program overall."
Men’s fencing (18-4) enters the weekend on the back of a successful outing at the Penn State Invitational. The Quakers bested North Carolina, Haverford, and Penn State — securing a 9-0 sweep in saber against the Black Squirrels. However, the team did fall to Columbia by one point in a tightly contested matchup. Penn’s only other losses this season came against its conference rival Yale at the Tse Center — leaving the Quakers 0-2 against conference competition. With standout performances from Louie in foil and sophomore Joseph Wu in épée, Penn is gearing up to seek revenge at the Palestra.
Women’s fencing (17-7) performed similarly at the Penn State Invitational, securing wins against Temple and the same three other schools that the men triumphed over — but fell to Columbia. The Quakers have also failed to beat Ivy League opponents this season in matchups with Cornell and Yale. However, the Red and Blue are confident in the strong outings from both experienced team members and promising underclassmen. Senior Katina Proestakis Ortiz has excelled in foil while freshman Polina Kharchyna has shined in épée. After winning a share of the Ivy title last year, Penn women’s fencing is eager to get back to winning ways against top competition, and they have the roster to do so.
The Ivy League Championships start on Feb. 7 at 10 a.M. At the Palestra and will conclude the day after with an awards ceremony. The goal for Penn is clear: to compete for the title.
“Our goals are set really high for Ivy championships; we want to do the best we can,” Louie said. "The Penn program has a very underdog story ... And we're really trying to make some history with this event. We've changed the culture of the team and hope to set the tone for upcoming years, starting with this weekend.”
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