FILIPINA Samantha Catantan earned the All-America honors as Penn State took another runner-up finish in the US NCAA fencing championship Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center in Pennsylvania.
Despite being the bridesmaid for the second straight tournament, the Nittany Lions have a bright future in regaining the fencing throne with the 18-year old Catantan as their cornerstone.
An Asian U23 gold medalist from University of the East high school, Catantan fought hard before bowing to Lodovica Bicego of Italy, 14-15, that ended her undefeated run in the all-Penn State women’s foil semis clash.
Catantan, who was among the 10 Nittany Lions athletes who won the All-America award, completed a sweep of her elimination round bouts by going 20-0 to secure the No. 1 spot in the semifinals.
Penn State, which also placed second in 2019, collected a total of 182 points behind champions Notre Dame, which has 201 points for its 11th crown overall.
