CollegeFencing360.com

(reminder: please credit CollegeFencing360.com's research, if using this data for publication or on other websites.)

(OK, this is quite a long post ... but an interesting assortment of info. for you to peruse.)

This blog post is sure to interest avid followers of certain teams, as well as fans of college fencing as a whole. Former fencers who are included on these lists also may take a walk down memory lane, as they scan the various names of their former teammates and former opponents.

The complete lists (at the very bottom of this post) highlight the fencing programs that have sent the most fencers (18, 19 of the max. 20) to the NCAAs, during the 10-year period since women's sabre made its debut at the NCAA Championships in 2000.

There are 26 "elite weapon groups" included below, and they break down as follows:

WEAPON GROUPS WITH 18-20 NCAA ENTRANTS (for 2000-09)

• Six each from Notre Dame and Ohio State
• Four each from Columbia (MF, MS, WF, WE) and St. John's (MS, ME, WF, WS)
• Two from Ohio State (ME, MS)
• One each from Harvard (WF), Northwestern (WF), Penn (MF) and Princeton (ME)

• Six different women's foil 10-year groups
• Five each from men's epee and men's sabre
• Four in men's foil
• Three each in women's epee and women's sabre

• Various schools have combined to produce 11 weapon groups with 20 NCAA entrants from 2000-09

• There have been seven other 19-entrant weapon groups over the past 10 years

• And there are eight more weapon groupings with 18 entrants, since women's sabre's debut

Here are the "old reliables" – the 11 weapon groups that have posted "100% NCAA Championship attendance" (20 of 20) during the past 10 years:

• Notre Dame men's sabre, women's foil and women's sabre
• Penn State men's foil, men's sabre and women's foil
• St. John's men's epee, men's sabre and women's sabre

• Columbia men's foil
• Ohio State men's epee

(Note: There obviously is a difference between qualifying for the NCAAs and posting an All-America/top-12 finish, or even better placing in the top-4 ... CF360 will be doing a later blog post that breaks down the top weapon groups over the past 10 years based on All-Americans, final-4 fencers, champions, total round-robin bouts won, etc. – and we will formally recognize the elite weapons groups of the decade, based on a sampling of such factors.)

We know the next question in some of your heads: "What schools have qualified the most NCAA fencers (2000-09) for a specific weapon, when including both genders?" Here you go:

MOST NCAA ENTRANTS IN A WEAPON (both genders; 2000-09; max. 40)
40 – Notre Dame sabre
40 – Penn State foil
40 – St. John's sabre

39 – Notre Dame foil   (19 men, 20 women)
39 – Penn State sabre   (20 men, 19 women)
38 – Columbia foil   (20 men, 18 women)
38 – Notre Dame epee   (19 men, 19 women)
37 – Penn State epee   (18 men, 19 women)
37 – St. John's epee   (20 men, 17 women)

Some schools have been able to maintain their consistent NCAA qualification in certain weapons with a series of several three- or four-year NCAA qualifiers, while other have relied on more turnover for a "turnstile" approach (they quickly reload):

TOP 10-YEAR WEAPON GROUPS w/ MOST/FEWEST FENCERS ('00-'09)
14 – Penn State men's foil  (20 total NCAA berths)
12 – St. John's men's sabre  (20 total NCAA berths)
12 – St. John's women's sabre  (20 total NCAA berths)

7 – Notre Dame men's epee (19 total NCAA berths)
7 – Northwestern women's foil (18 total NCAA berths)

During the past 10 years, there have been 38 fencers – from among the 26 elite historical weapon groups listed below – who have been four-year NCAA entrants (10 from ND, nine from PSU, five from SJU, three from Columbia, OSU and Northwestern, two from Penn and Princeton, and one from Harvard). Several schools have featured three different four-year NCAA qualifiers in the same weapon, over the past 10 years.  

WEAPON GROUPS with THREE 4-YEAR NCAA ENTRANTS ('00-'09)
• Northwestern  women's foil
               Julie Foldi ('02-'05) ... Jessica Florendo ('04-'07) ... Sam Nemecek ('06-'09)

• Notre Dame men's epee
               Jan Viviani ('00-'03) ... Michal Sobieraj ('02-'05) ... Karol Kostka ('06-'09)
• Notre Dame women's foil 
               Andrea Ament ('02-'05) ... Alicja Kryczalo ('02-'05) ... Adi Nott ('06-'09)

Jessica Florendo (left)

When looking at the 38 four-year NCAA entrants included below (again, sampled from the 26 elite weapon groups listed on this page), there have been four "dynamic duos" that fenced alongside each other at the NCAAs at least three times:

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP "DYNAMIC DUOS"  (2000-09)
(Four-year entrants, from elite weapon groups, who fenced together at NCAAs 3-plus times) 

• Notre Dame women's foilists Andrea Ament and Alicja Kryczalo (both '02-'05)

• Penn State women's foilists Meredith Chin ('02-'05) and Anna Donath ('03-'06)

• Penn men's foilists Michael Galligan ('04-'07)  and Ron Berkowsky ('05-'08)

• Ohio State men's sabreists Adam Crompton ('03-'06) and Jason Rogers ('02, '03, '05, '06)

Ron Berkowsky (left)

Here's a complete list of fencers from the 26 elite weapon groups whoe have been four-year NCAA entrants:

4-YEAR NCAA ENTRANTS FROM ELITE WEAPON GROUPS  (2000-09)
Notre Dame (10)
MF - Ozren Debic ('00-'03)
ME - Jan Viviani ('00-'03), Michal Sobieraj ('02-'05) and Karol Kostka ('06-'09)
MS -  Patrick Ghattas ('04-'07)
WF -  Andrea Ament ('02-'05), Alicja Kryczalo ('02-'05) and Adi Nott ('06-'09)
WE - Kerry Walton ('02-'05)
WS - Valerie Providenza ('04-'07)

MOST NCAA MEN'S FOIL ENTRANTS (6-weapon era, 2000-09; max. 20)