Buckeyes Head to Midwest Championships – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/24/1999 12:00:00 AM | Fencing
February 24, 1999
COLUMBUS – The Ohio State fencing returns to team action this weekend at the Midwest Conference Fencing Championships, hosted by Notre Dame Feb. 27 and 28.
OSU LOOKS TO WIN CONFERENCE CROWN The Midwest Conference Fencing Championships begin Saturday at Notre Dame. The first day of competition will feature the squad-based competition, while the second day will showcase the individual competition. Twelve teams will match up at the meet, including perennial power Notre Dame, who handed the Buckeye women one of their two losses this season. OSU returned the favor at Duke, as they downed the No. 2-ranked Fighting Irish by two points.
BUCKEYES BATTLE AT JUNIOR OLYMPICS Ohio State sent five competitors to the Junior Olympics for the individual-based competition. Greg Carlino led the mens squad, posting a 110th place finish in the epee and a 108th place finish in the foil. Erik Bianca took 127th out of 179 in the mens foil, while his twin brother, Greg Bianca, notched a 155th place finish in the men’s foil. On the women’s side, Jaime Rice garnered a 61st place finish out of 106 in the women’s epee competition. Toya Holland was right behind Rice, finishing 62nd in the epee. Holland also took 99th out of 122 in the womens foil competition.
BUCKEYE WOMEN SHINE AT DUKE The Ohio State women’s fencing team had a great day at the Duke Invitational, winning all five of their matches, including a win over second-ranked Notre Dame. The Buckeyes also notched wins over Rutgers, Duke, Air Force and North Carolina. Yelena Kalkina led Ohio State with an unblemished record of 20-0 in the foil, while Fane Groes went 19-1 in the foil. The men’s team struggled against tough competition at Duke. The Buckeyes went 1-4, posting a win over North Carolina, but falling to Duke, Rutgers, Air Force and Notre Dame.
HEAD COACH CHARLOTTE REMENYIK Charlotte Remenyik came to Ohio State in 1978 to mentor the womens fencing squad with well over 20 years of fencing experience. It was evident from her inaugural season that she would become an integral part of the Buckeye fencing program. Remenyik produced back-to-back Big Ten runner-up seasons and a first-place regional finish her first two years at OSU. Immediately following that she was named head coach of the men’s and women’s teams, the first woman in the Midwest to coach both sections of a varsity fencing team. Despite not having any scholarships for the mens teams, Remenyik has never had a losing season in her 20-year tenure at OSU. As one of the longest tenured coaches at Ohio State, entering her 21st season at OSU, Remenyik brought to her coaching position a remarkable record of accomplishments as a competitor as well as a teacher. Born and raised in Hungary, she proved to be one of that country’s finest young duelists. Hungary, like other European countries, has maintained a strong fencing tradition, producing highly-motivated and technique-oriented competitors.
