Filipina fencer Samantha Kyle Catantan playing for Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) has earned All-America honors in the 2021 National Collegiate Men’s and Women’s Fencing Championships hosted in Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
The Penn State women’s fencing squad led by freshman standout Catantan was named National Runners-Up in the 2021 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships held from March 25 to 28, 2021, at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Catantan was one of the top ten Penn State fencers who were crowned All-Americans in the competition. This is her first time qualifying for an NCAA championship.
The Filipina was undefeated in all 20 of her preliminary bouts. She advanced to the foil Semifinal with a spotless record and tied with Amita Berthier of Notre Dame for third overall.
Catantan’s team Nittany Lions ended up with a total of 182 points and came in second place behind the University of Notre Dame in the finals of the NC Fencing Championships.
The 19-year-old fencing star who graduated from the University of the East (UE) high school in the Philippines shared her new achievement in a Facebook post.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement I still have to fill in but so far I am excited and ready to learn more!” Catantan wrote. “To be able to join NCAA is a huge experience for me. I am forever grateful for this opportunity and for being able to represent Penn State and the Philippines.”
Sam Catantan earlier this year marked a memorable debut playing for Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) during the Ohio State Invitational held in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.
Women’s fencing head coach Wes Glon commented on the Filipina’s stellar performance during the meet.
“Kateryna Chorniy (Kyiv, Ukraine) and Samantha Catantan (Quezon City, Philippines) have adapted really well to our team and they were the stars of the meet,” said Glon. “It’s very unusual that two freshmen are leading the pack, but they fenced very well and we are so happy for them.”
Samantha Catantan is the first Filipino homegrown talent to be recruited by a Division 1 school in the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Catatan gave the country a history-making victory for Philippine sports as she captured the nation’s first Women’s Individual gold medal in the Asian Under-23 Fencing Championship held in Thailand in 2019 and was one of the Southeast Asian Games gold medalists honored by the Philippines.
SEND CONGRATULATIONS in the comments below to Filipina fencer Samantha Kyle Catantan who played for Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and earned All-America honors in the 2021 National Collegiate Men’s and Women’s Fencing Championships hosted in Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
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