Men's, w. fencing kicks off season without Thompson

One of the best fencers in the world goes to Princeton. Unfortunately for the fencing team, he — Soren Thompson — has decided to take the year off in hopes of qualifying for a spot in next year's Summer Olympics. As Thompson prepares for Athens, Greece, the Tigers have been forced to regroup and reorganize in preparation for the winter fencing season.

"We are losing one of the best fencers in the country," senior co-captain Jonathan Jew-Lim said. "This is a big blow and it means we will need to have extra focus going into the season."

Coach Michel Sebastiani has brought in a strong recruiting class this year in hopes of filling the gaping hole left by Thompson.

Perhaps most in need of support is Princeton's traditionally weak saber squad. The sabers have been most affected by the loss of key fencers, either due to graduation or for other reasons. With such a thin squad, the Tigers will rely heavily on freshman Joseph Cho. The coach has also asked Jew-Lim to change weapons for his senior year. After years of fencing foil, Jew-Lim will make the move to saber. He has been training exclusively with coach Sebastiani in addition to traditional team practices.

"It has a very different feel," Jew-Lim said. "But with only one freshman recruit I made an agreement with my co-captain and coach to fill the void."

Another standout recruit can be found in the foil squad. Already a star in the fencing world, freshman Alejandro Bras joins the Tiger squad ranked sixth in the nation in his junior foil category. Hailing from Lexington, Mass., Bras has had a significant amount of competition experience, both nationally and internationally. He enters next weekend's Penn State Open as a favorite.

The Tigers can expect to find their biggest rivals at next weekend's Open, where fencers will compete individually. The Open should help Princeton gauge future competition. Columbia will bring most of its well-balanced squad fresh off last year's tie for the Ivy League title with Penn. Harvard, a major contender, will also be present.

The women's team, like the men's, also begins its season this weekend at Penn State. The women have also been plagued by losses due to graduation, though a talented recruiting class has produced a powerful, albeit young, team.

"Although we have a small and young team this year, we have an extraordinary depth of skill and experience," junior co-captain Catherine Pack said.

A majority of the starters are in the top 10 national rankings in Junior and Senior standings within their respective weapons.

Women's saber welcomes two freshmen who stand to make an immediate impact. Freshman Mina Morova,from Istanbul, Turkey, holds a Turkish National title, and freshman Elan DiMaio, equally experienced, was a member of the New Jersey State Champion Saber Team.

Pack will lead the squad again this year with much experience as a Junior National team member. A silver medalist at the 2000 Junior World Championships in Saber and a two-time Junior and Cadet National Champion, Pack brings experience and wisdom to her role as team captain.

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The foil squad returns its leader, sophomore Jacqueline Leahy, who has also been on numerous Junior and Senior National teams. Leahy is currently ranked second in the nation in Junior standings and seventh in the nation in Senior standings.

Along with Leahy, junior co-captain Inhwa Song, an experienced competition fencer, brings a great amount of depth and strategy to the team. The foil squad has one new freshman, Sara Jew-lim, a standout cadet fencer with national competition experience. She will round out the squad with her strong skills and athleticism. Rounding out the squad are senior Crystal Jiang, and sophomore Sarit Kattan.

The Epee squad returns two of the nation's strongest Junior women's epee fencers, sophomores Kira Hohensee and Eleanor Leighton. Both fencers are in the top eight rankings in the nation and have proved vital to the Tigers' success. New this year, freshman Erin McGarry, also in the top eight of the national rankings, brings an enormous amount of competition experience and skill.