UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The first USFCA College Fencing Coaches’ Poll of the season has been released, with Penn State on top. Both the men’s and women’s teams took first, surpassing some of the most dominating fencing programs in the country, including Notre Dame, who the Nittany Lions fell to in last years National Championship. This is the first of three polls that will be released throughout the remainder of the season with the next two taking place in mid-February and early March.
Penn State will look to live up to their ranking this weekend when they travel to Queens, N.Y., to compete in the St. John’s Invitational. The one-day event will pin the Nittany Lions up against teams who join them on the USFCA poll including; Harvard, Notre Dame, Ohio State and St. John’s. Action will begin at 10 a.m.
The complete rankings for the USFCA College Fencing Coaches’ Poll are listed below.
| Men |
| 1. Penn State |
| 2. Princeton |
| 3. Harvard |
| 4. Notre Dame |
| 5. Ohio State |
| 6. St. John’s (NY) |
| 7. Pennsylvania |
| 8. Duke |
| 9. Sacred Heart |
| 10. Yale |
| Others receiving votes: North Carolina, Columbia, Standford, Air Force, NYU, Brown, Wayne State (MI) |
| Women |
| 1. Penn State |
| 2. Princeton |
| 3. Notre Dame |
| 4. Northwestern |
| 5. St. John’s (NY) |
| 6. Ohio State |
| 7. Harvard |
| 8. Temple |
| 9. Pennsylvania |
| 10.Duke |
| Others receiving votes: Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Yale, North Carolina, Sacred Heart, NYU, MIT, Boston College |