2000-2001 Fencing Season Outlook – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Fencing
Building for Success
Last season, the Ohio State fencing team, under then-first year head Coach Vladimir Nazlymov, placed 12th at the NCAA Championships. The men’s squad posted a record of 14-8, while the women were 18-8 overall. This year, the Buckeyes are looking to improve on that finish and move toward the top of the national standings.
“This season, we are hoping for a Top 8 finish,” Nazlymov said. “I think we are about a year away from being able to challenge for a spot among the Top 3 at the NCAA Championships. This season will allow us to improve and work toward our goal of a Top 3 finish in 2002.
“Anything can happen in sports and we may not achieve our goals,” Nazlymov said. “But, I think once we get all the pieces in place – our returnees, strong recruits and a solid coaching staff – we should be able to challenge for a top finish each year.”
Nazlymov and his coaching staff have a plan in place that will help the squad reach keep moving up amog the NCAA ranks.
“We have a program where we know what we need to do, both week-to-week and each season,” Nazlymov said. “Our long-term plan is for two to three years. We can’t base everything on just a few months of competition. We need to be patient. Competition can give us information to let us know what is working – what we need to do differently or keep the same. Of course we want to be best tomorrow, but sport does not work like that.”
The 2000-01 Squad
All three Buckeyes who earned automatic berths in the NCAA Championships last season, including two All-America honorees, return for OSU. Fane Groes (Sr., Copenhagen, Denmark/Vordinborg), has earned All-America honors in foil the past two seasons. Last year she placed seventh at the NCAA Championships after placing first at the Midwest Conference championships. Groes led the women’s foil squad with a mark of 97-12 last year.
In men’s epee, Geoff Kane (Sr., Vancouver, Wash./Columbia River) became the first OSU male fencer to earn All-America honors since 1997 after placing 12th in epee at the NCAA Championships. Kane, who placed sixth at the Midwest Conference Championships, ranked second on the squad with a mark of 30-6 last year.
Alan Jones (So., Ft. Leonardwood, Mo./Waynesville) also competed at the 2000 NCAA Championships in epee. Jones placed first at the Midwest Conference Championships before finishing 16th at the NCAAs. As a freshman last season, he led the epee team with a 44-28 record and recorded the most wins of any Ohio State freshman.
In addition to those returnees, four Buckeyes who placed in the Top 10 in their respective weapons at the 2000 Midwest Conference Championships return this season. On the men’s side, Greg Bianca (Jr., Bennington, Vt./Mount Anthony Union) was ninth in epee and Greg Carlino (Sr., Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights) was third in foil. Bianca posted an overall mark of 38-21 in epee, while Carlino led the men’s foil squad with a record of 45-28. For the women, Sally Dowding (Sr., W. Midlands, England/Binswood Hall N. Leamington) placed ninth in foil while Leah Tracy (Jr., Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) was 10th in epee. Dowding ranked second on the women’s foil squad with a mark of 63-7 and Tracy ranked second in epee with a record of 52-29.
Among the newest Buckeyes are Colin Parker (Fr., Fayetteville, Ga./The Heritage School) and Amanda Nelson (Fr., Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln). Parker won the bronze medal in sabre at the World Championships in 1999 and the gold medal in the 2000 Junior World Cup. Nelson, who competes in both sabre and foil, won the gold medal at the 1999 Overland Park women’s foil championships. Another newcomer in men’s sabre, Can Aydin (Fr., Istanbul, Turkey/Ted Istanbul), was named the Fencer of the Year in Turkey in 1997-98.
Leading by Example
In order for Ohio State’s fencers to be successful, Nazlymov believes they must be taught by strong, experienced coaches. Nazlymov, now in his second season, leads the list. He has twice been named the World’s Best Fencer by the International Fencing Federation and was a three-time Olympic medalist as a competitor. Joining the staff this season as an assistant coach for the foil squad is Ilgar Mamedov. He is a two-time Olympic champion (Seoul, ’88/Atlanta, ’96) and a four-time Olympic participant. Yelena Kalkina, a three-time All-American and national champion for the Buckeyes, is another member of the OSU coaching staff.
“In order for our fencers to be successful, they need to learn from those who have had success in fencing,” Nazlymov said. “The members of our coaching staff know the hard work and dedication it takes to be successful in our sport. Hopefully our team can learn from their example, as well as their experience and teaching.”
The Schedule
The Buckeyes will travel to face many of the top teams in the nation this season. One of the squad’s toughest weekends will be the Penn State Dual Meets, Jan. 29-30, 2001. The host Nittany Lions won the NCAA national championship last season, while Notre Dame and St. John’s tied for second place.
The Buckeyes will compete at the Midwest Fencing Conference Championships Feb. 24-25. Last season the squad placed third, behind Notre Dame and Northwestern. The season ends with the NCAA Regionals in Detroit, March 10 and the NCAA Championships, March 21-25 at Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, Wis.
