Acorn

Drew University fencing may be a Division III sport, but the Rangers are quite capable of competing with Division I opponents, as the men's and women's teams proved last weekend at the Penn State Open. "We went up against the entire Division I competition," Coach Dayn DeRose said.  "John Hopkins University was the only other Division III school, and the pools just happened not to have us coming up against each other."

In addition to facing schools from other divisions, the Rangers joined national teams from Germany, France, Sweden, Ukraine, Russia, Hong Kong, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States at the Penn State Open. Each year, the Penn State Open, allows Drew fencing teams to see where they fit and what level they can compete on.

"We go every year to see how well we can place," DeRose said.

At this year's Penn State Open, Drew put on a good show.  Freshman Paul Bertolini was knocked out after the first round of pool play, but performed the best in the consolation round, finishing 37th overall.

Sophomore Joe Liu beat Franz Bogachev of the German National Team in his third round of pool bouts, placing Liu one spot higher than last year.

"I am very happy with our performance," DeRose said.  "We were solidly in the pack of that 'shark tank.'"

After many of the veteran Rangers performed at a lower level than expected at the Temple Open, the Penn State Open gave the team a chance to make a statement on a grander scale, which, according to the results and DeRose's enthusiasm, the team did. 

On Nov. 19, the Rangers will have a chance to continue their improvement and success at a Haverford meet, where they will join several competitive schools, including University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Army and Haverford College.  

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