Several members of the fencing team continued their preseason activities this weekend, competing in the 25th annual Maxwell-Garrett Penn State Open.
Duke sent four athletes to the tournament, which invited college fencers from all over the country to compete. Although many colleges sent their entire teams, the Blue Devil budget prevented the whole squad from going.
Senior captain Jeremy Kahn, last year's NCAA champion in the epee competition, produced Duke's highest finish in the tournament, placing fifth in the epee competition out of about 60.
"Overall I was happy with how I fenced," Kahn said. "The guy I ended up losing to I feel I should have beaten."
The meet had an unusual structure, with three round-robin rounds and then a series of double elimination rounds. Kahn attributes part of his loss to the design of the tournament.
"I had about an hour wait from one of my bouts until the finals," Kahn said. "I was really cold and it took a long time to warm up."
Two Blue Devils participated in the foil competition as well. Sophomore Bob Manchen and freshman Zach Klughaupt placed 29th and 37th, respectively.
"I was really disappointed, to be honest," Manchen said. "I just had a bad day."
For Klughaupt, the disappointing finish was mixed with the excitement of his debut in collegiate competition.
"I could have done better but I could have done worse," Klughaupt said. "I've got three years to improve."
Duke's only representative in the saber competition, freshman Mike Baughman, placed 24th.
Although the meet did not produce ideal results, the Blue Devils remain confident about their chances for this year.
"We should have a really strong team," Kahn said. "We didn't lose anyone from last year."
And last year Duke finished in the top 20. Although final rankings are based on individual performance in the NCAA tournament and Kahn won the epee competition, Duke did not have enough depth to qualify more people in other areas.
Sophomore Brian Hartman is among those who did not qualify for the NCAA tournament, but he has shown drastic improvement since last year.
After placing sixth this summer in the Junior Olympic trials, Hartman, who fences epee, competed in the Pan American games on October 20. His third place finish was the highest of any American.
The women's team did not send any fencers to Penn State and will begin their official season, along with the men's team, this weekend at a dual meet with UNC-Chapel Hill.
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