Nov. 15, 2004

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Wayne State fencing team opened the season at the 32nd Annual Penn State Garrett Open Nov. 13-14 in University Park, Pa.

Defending NCAA Champion Anna Garina (Kiev, Ukraine ) lost a sudden-death overtime bout to Penn State's Katarzyna Trzopek to finish second in the epee division. Also in the epee, WSU senior Anna Vinnikov (Ma'alot, Israel) placed 19th out of 57 competitors.

In the women's foil, Lindsey Howard (Goshen, Ind./Mishawaka) had a strong performance and finished in ninth, while teammate Mary Beth Ketko was 44th.

Senior Jinelle Lawson (Clayton, Mich./Sand Creek Community) also competed for the Warriors, placing 31st in the sabre.

Wayne State returns home to host the Michigan Open on Dec. 4. An hour-long highlight show from the tournament will be broadcast on Comcast Local.