Fencing beat: Whitman's Costa quick study

Costa a fast learner

Whitman senior Jonathan Costa's fourth-place finish in sabre at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament may not seem extraordinary, but it was a big deal to his teammates, especially Joe Babinski.

The junior was a varsity leader as an eighth-grader, a full starter when he was in ninth grade and by his sophomore year knew more about sabre than anyone on the team. "Joe took over the reigns of the squad," coach Kathleen Kolakowski said.

Kolakowski said Jon did it without a sabre coach. "What is truly remarkable about Jon's success is that there was no real sabre coach," Kolakowski said. "He has been taught sabre by teammates."

This season, Dave Rabinowitz joined the team as an assistant coach, specializing in sabre, and Kolakowski believes the adult assistance will pay off.

"The boys have adjusted well to Coach Rabinowitz," Kolakowski said. "He was the missing piece to the puzzle in getting this team to achieve what they are all capable of."