CF360 BLOG ARCHIVE (prior to May 13, 2010) … monthly quick links (2010-13) on right sidebar:
* SCROLL DOWN FOR MOST RECENT CONTENT *
2018 NCAA Fencing Men's Sabre In-Depth (courtesy CF360)
> 2018 NCAA “Live Results” (updated after each round)
** Note – scroll down on this page for assorted lists, notes and history pertaining to the 2018 NCAA men's sabre competition (plus similar notes from past few seasons) – with more in depth notes on the CF360 2018 NCAA Historical Notebook. ... Also note that various photos will be added to this page, time permitting. … And be sure to follow as well via Twitter, at @CF360updates.
2018 Postseason Portal
CF360 2018 NCAA Historical Notebook
2018 NCAA Result Links (March 22–25; at Penn State):
NCAA Championships (HTML; updated several times daily, after each round)
NCAA Results (PDF), after: Day–1 | Day–2 | Day–3 | Day–4
Official NCAA Release (2018 NCAA qualifiers)
2018 NCAA Regional Results: Northeast | Mid-Atlantic/South | Midwest | West
2018 NCAA MEN'S SABRE ENTRANTS
– 24-fencer field includes:
• 15 who also were in the 2017 NCAAs (plus two who were in the ’16 NCAAs but not ’17; and one 2015 NCAA fencer who was not in ’16 or ‘17) … with the other six other entrants including only four freshmen, plus two veterans making their NCAA debut (a junior and sophomore)
2018 NCAA Fencing Championship Qualifiers & Notebook (from CF360)
** ALL DATA ON THIS PAGE COURTESY OF CollegeFencing360.com – please credit accordingly.
THREE TEAMS RECEIVE MAXIMUM 12 SPOTS INTO
2018 NCAA FENCING CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
Defending champs Notre Dame joins Columbia (2016 & ’17 NCAA champs) and Midwest Regional rival Ohio State with a dozen entries into 2018 NCAAs; no teams with 11 bids (Harvard, U-Penn & Penn State have nine).
RELEASE: March 21, 2018 Contact: Pete LaFleur (editor@collegefencing360.com)
(Note: Click Here for similar rundown for 2016 NCAA field … with much of the 2017 NCAAs data reference within the 2018 CF360 postings coming this week)
> 2018 NCAA “Live Results” (updated after each round)
** Note – scroll down on this page for assorted lists, notes and history pertaining to the NCAA Fencing Championship, and in particular the 2018 NCAAs. Shorter, specific details blog posts will be coming here on CF360 throughout the 2018 NCAAs, highlighting certain bonus notes. … Also note that various photos will be added to this page, time permitting. … And be sure to follow as well via Twitter, at @CF360updates.
2016 NCAA Fencing Championships Qualifers & Notebook
FOUR TEAMS RECEIVE MAXIMUM 12 SPOTS INTO 2016 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
Defending champs Columbia join Ivy League rival Princeton, plus Notre Dame and St. John’s, with a dozen entries into 2016 NCAAs; Ohio State next with 11, followed by Penn State (10), Harvard (9) and Penn (9).
RELEASE: March 23, 2016
Contact: Pete LaFleur (editor@collegefencing360.com)
(Note: Click Here for similar rundown for 2015 NCAA field)
Four teams – Columbia, Notre Dame, Princeton and St. John’s – received the maximum 12 individual qualifiers for the 2016 NCAA Combined Men’s and Women’s Fencing Championship, to be held March 24–27 at Gosman Athletic Center in Waltham, Mass. (hosted by Brandeis University). It marks the most teams with the full complement of entries since five teams each qualified a dozen in 2012, with that group including the eventual 2012 NCAA champion Penn State, plus runner-up SJU, ND, Harvard and Princeton.
A year ago (in 2015, at Ohio State), the eventual champion Columbia and ND were the only teams with the full dozen qualifiers. In 2014, also at OSU, it was three teams – the defending champion at the time Princeton, perennial power and eventual 2014 champion Penn State, and the tournament host Buckeyes – who had received the maximum 12 entrants. And one year earlier, the soon-to-be 2013 champions Princeton and eventual runner-up ND were the only teams that qualified the maximum 12 fencers.
2015 NCAA Fencing Championships Individual Qualifers & Notebook
COLUMBIA, NOTRE DAME RECEIVE MAXIMUM 12 SPOTS INTO 2015 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
Past two champions, Penn State & Princeton, join St. John’s with 11 qualifiers; Harvard & host Ohio State 10.
RELEASE: March 10, 2015
Contact: Pete LaFleur (editor@collegefencing360.com)
Only two teams – Columbia and Notre Dame – have received the maximum 12 indvidual qualifers for the upcoming NCAA Combined Men's and Women's Fencing Championship, to be held March 19-22 at French Fieldhouse in Columbus, Ohio. A year ago (in 2014, also at OSU), it was three teams – the defending champion at the time Princeton, perennial power and eventual 2014 champion Penn State, and the tournament host Buckeyes – who had received the full 12 entrants. And one year earlier, the soon-to-be 2013 champions Princeton and eventual runner-up Notre Dame were the only teams that qualified the maximum 12 fencers.
2015 NCAA Fencing Headshot/Info. Galleries (courtesy CF360):
Men’s Foil | Men’s Epee | Men’s Sabre | Women’s Foil | Women’s Epee | Women’s Sabre
College Fencing Bout Schedules for Jan. 24–25, 2015
Bouting schedules – plus links to various event previews – are included below below for the key college fencing tournaments this weekend, hosted by St. John’s (Jan. 24), Penn (Jan. 24-25), Brown (Jan. 24) and NYU (Jan. 25, in Jersey City, N.J.):
St. John’s Invitational Cup (Sat., Jan. 24, 2015; Queens, NY; Taffner Field House)
Event Previews: St. John’s | Penn State | Columbia | Ohio State | Harvard
round-1 (10 a.m.) – St. John's vs. Columbia … Notre Dame vs. Ohio State ... Penn State vs. Harvard
round-2 (11:15 a.m.) – St. John's vs. Ohio State ... Columbia vs. Harvard … Notre Dame vs. Penn State
round-3 (12:30 p.m.) – St. John's vs. Penn State ... Ohio State vs. Columbia ... Harvard vs. Notre Dame
round-4 (2:15 p.m.) – St. John's vs. Notre Dame ... Penn State vs. Columbia ... Ohio State vs. Harvard
round-5 (3:30 p.m.) – St. John's vs. Harvard … Notre Dame vs. Columbia ... Penn State vs. Ohio State
– men’s rankings: (1) Penn State, (2) Notre Dame, (3) Ohio State, (4) Columbia, (5) St. John’s & (6) Harvard
In-Depth Breakdown of 2014 NCAA Fencing Entrants' Hometowns ...
Here's a look at the hometowns for the 144 entrants in the 2014 NCAA Fencing Championships … some interesting results … final compilation breakdowns and general analysis by CF360's Pete LaFleur … thanks to Andy Seroff for his great work in accumulating and assembling the info. (may revisit this topic later) … – PL
Hometown Breakdown of 2014 NCAA Fencing Championship Entrants ...
- 120 of the 144 entrants (83%) hail from U.S. hometowns
- They hail from exactly half of the states (25), plus Washington D.C
- More than one-half of those from concentration within three states:
23 from California ... 22 from New York ... 21 from New Jersey - Texas with 8
- Massachusetts with 5, Virginia with 4
- 3 each from Georgia, Illinois, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island
- 2 each: AZ, DC, FL, KY, MN, UT and WA
- 1 each: AL, CO, CT, ME, NV, NM, NC and OH
- The 17% from foreign hometowns (24 total) span 15 counties, including 3 each from Canada, Italy and Poland ... 2 each from England, France and the Ukraine ... 1 each from Bulgaria, Rep. of Georgia, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, Norway, Russia and Sweden
ALABAMA (1 WF)
Luona Wang (Pennsylvania) ... women’s foil ... Vestavia Hills
ARIZONA (1 ME, 1 MS)
Rhys Douglas (Ohio State) ... men’s sabre ... Scottsdale
Garrett McGrath (Notre Dame) ... men’s epee ... Mesa, AZ
CALIFORNIA (23 total ... 16 men, 7 women
(8 MF–3 ME–5 MS–2 WF–2 WE–3 WS)
(13 NorCal, 10 SoCal ... 9 Bay Area ... 5 San Francisco)
(4 from Penn State, 3 Stanford, 3 Notre Dame, 2 each: Brown, Columbia, Harvard & Penn)
Stephen Aman (Stanford) ... men’s foil ... Westlake Village
Eric Arzoian (Harvard) ... men’s sabre ... Beverly Hills
Noah Berman (Brandeis ... men’s foil ... Palo Alto
Nobou Bravo (Penn State) ... men’s foil ... San Francisco
NCAA Men's Sabre Preview, by Aleks Ochocki (Penn State '12)
_________________________________________
CF366 Guest Columns – NCAA Capsule Previews
• Women's Foil – Dayana Sarkisova (Northwestern '13) | • Women's Epee – Hannah Safford (Princeton '13)
• Women's Sabre – Caroline Vloka (Harvard '12) | • Men's Foil – TBA
• Men's Epee – Jonathan Yergler (Princeton '13) | • Men's Sabre – Aleks Ochocki (Penn State '12)
_________________________________________
Former two-time NCAA men's sabre champion and Penn State legend Aleks Ochocki is back to lend his insight with another great guest column in advance of the 2014 NCAA mens' sabre competition. That's Ockocki, pictured at right, after winning the NCAAs as a freshman in 2009, being congratulated by his sabre coach Wes Glon (currently the PSU head coach).
2014 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS – Men's Sabre (capsule preview)
By Akeks Ochocki (Penn State '12)
It’s that time of the year again, March Madness, the real madness where every single bout counts for your school and overall ranking. This is the only place where one can be truly crowned a champion after competing against every participant in his or her field. Here, there is no such thing as lose and go home, your mental endurance and concentration are tested to the fullest. The ability to bounce back from a loss and continue to push forward is the hardest part. If one falls into a downward spiral for even one round, it could cost them a chance at a title of any sorts.
Guest Column – NCAA Women's Sabre Preview, by Caroline Vloka (Harvard '12)
_________________________________________
CF366 Guest Columns – NCAA Capsule Previews
• Women's Foil – Dayana Sarkisova (Northwestern '13) | • Women's Epee – Hannah Safford (Princeton '13)
• Women's Sabre – Caroline Vloka (Harvard '12) | • Men's Foil – TBA
• Men's Epee – Jonathan Yergler (Princeton '13) | • Men's Sabre – Aleks Ochocki (Penn State '12)
_________________________________________
Former Harvard standout Caroline Vloka has returned as a CF360 guest columnist for 2014 NCAA analysis and projection (she helped us out in a crunch here, so thanks Caroline). Vloka certainly can speak from experience, as she was in the running for the NCAA women's saber title all four years of her career (5th or higher each season). Vloka won the NCAA title as a sophomore, one year after losing in the 2009 final vs. eventual 3-time champion Becca Ward of Duke. As a junior, Vloka made a third straight trip to the medal round (top-4) and narrowly missed a top-4 finish as a senior (5th).
2014 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS – Women's Sabre (capsule preview)
Guest Column – NCAA Women's Epee Preview, by Hannah Safford (Princeton '13)
_________________________________________
CF366 Guest Columns – NCAA Capsule Previews
• Women's Foil – Dayana Sarkisova (Northwestern '13) | • Women's Epee – Hannah Safford (Princeton '13)
• Women's Sabre – Caroline Vloka (Harvard '12) | • Men's Foil – TBA
• Men's Epee – Jonathan Yergler (Princeton '13) | • Men's Sabre – Aleks Ochocki (Penn State '12)
_________________________________________
Hannah Safford (pictured at right) represented Princeton in women’s epée at the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Fencing Championships and was an NCAA alternate on Princeton’s championship-winning team in 2013. Now a graduate student in engineering and public policy, Safford remains involved in the collegiate fencing circuit as a team manager for Princeton.
Note – additional basic bio. info. on all 24 entrants, provided by CF360, may be added to this page later in the week.
2014 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS – Women's Epee (capsule preview)
By Hannah Safford (Princeton ’13)
The 2013 NCAA Fencing Championships marked the end of collegiate fencing for three former NCAA women’s epée champions: Notre Dame’s Courtney Hurley (in ’11 and ’13), Ohio State’s Katarzyna Dabrowa (’12), and Penn State’s Marg Guzzi (’10). The graduation of these three talented fencers—particularly the graduation of four-time NCAA medalists Hurley and Guzzi—leaves the women’s epée field wider open than it has been in any year in recent history. In fact, 2014 is the first year since 2009 that the field has not included at least one former NCAA champion.
Guest Column – NCAA Women's Foil Preview, by Dayana Sarkisova (Northwestern '13)
_________________________________________
CF366 Guest Columns – NCAA Capsule Previews
• Women's Foil – Dayana Sarkisova (Northwestern '13) | • Women's Epee – Hannah Safford (Princeton '13)
• Women's Sabre – Caroline Vloka (Harvard '12) | • Men's Foil – TBA
• Men's Epee – Jonathan Yergler (Princeton '13) | • Men's Sabre – Aleks Ochocki (Penn State '12)
_________________________________________
Dayana Sarkisova (pictured) fenced to All-America honors during all four of her seasons at Northwestern, finishing in the top-10 of the NCAAs every year from 2010-13 – highlighted by a trip to the medal round in her freshman season. The first Northwestern foilist ever to earn first team All-America status (top-4 at the NCAAs), Dayana currently works at ESPN in Bristol, Conn., where she is an editor for ESPN Insider, with a focus on college basketball and professional hockey. She also serve as a social media producer for ESPN's College GameDay Live.
CLICK HERE for CF360's1-on-1 video interview with Dayana Sarkisova during her own college fencing career.
Guest Column – NCAA Men's Epee Preview, by Jon Yergler (Princeton '13)
_________________________________________
CF366 Guest Columns – NCAA Capsule Previews
• Women's Foil – Dayana Sarkisova (Northwestern '13) | • Women's Epee – Hannah Safford (Princeton '13)
• Women's Sabre – Caroline Vloka (Harvard '12) | • Men's Foil – TBA
• Men's Epee – Jonathan Yergler (Princeton '13) | • Men's Sabre – Aleks Ochocki (Penn State '12)
_________________________________________
CF360 Guest Column – 2014 NCAA Men’s Epee Preview, by Jon. Yergler (Princeton ’13)
Intro from CF360 editor Pete LaFleur – College Fencing 360 was thrilled that former Princeton standout Jonathan Yergler (that's him, pictured at right) shared his keen, well-articulated insights about the 2014 NCAA men’s epee field (see further down this page, after this CF360 intro. section). As many of you know, Jon. fenced in the NCAA men’s epee final bout three times (winning in 2012) and was an All-American all four of his seasons at Princeton (also 9th in 2010). Of course, he and classmate Ed Kelley reached the 2013 NCAA medal round (semifinals) after racking up plenty of wins in the round-robin – helping Princeton ultimately go on to claim the 2013 NCAA Combined Men’s and Women’s Fencing Championship title.
2014 NCAA Fencing Championships Individual Qualifers
RELEASE: March 11, 2014
Contact: Pete LaFleur (editor@collegefencing360.com)
Three teams – defending champion Princeton, perennial power Penn State and tournament host Ohio State – have received the maximum 12 indvidual qualifers for the upcoming NCAA Combined Men's and Women's Fencing Championship, to be held March 20-23 at French Fieldhouse in Columbus, Ohio. A year ago, Princeton and eventual runner-up Notre Dame were the only teams that qualified the maximum 12 fenders
It is not unprecedented (but it is rare) for a team with 11 entrants to win the title over a team with the full 12. Most notably, it happened in 2005 when Notre Dame's 11-fencer contingent rallied in Houston to beat another 11-fencer team, Ohio State, in a 173-171 thriller that played out in Houston (St. John's had been the only team to qualify 12 but finished third, at 162). That 2005 NCAA format closed with two days of the women's bouts, as Notre Dame surged past OSU – with the ND six-fencer contingent comprised entirely of fencers who competed in at least one NCAA individual final during their respective careers (foil–Alicja Kryczalo and Andrea Ament; epee–Kerry Walton and Amy Orlando; sabre–Mariel Zagunis and Valerie Providenza).
College Fencing Weekly Honor Roll – 2014 week-3 (quick look)
Previous CF360 2014 National Weekly Fencing Awards – week-1 | week-2
College Fencing Primetime Performers of the Week #3
(Jan. 27–Feb. 2, 2014 ... presented by CollegeFencing360.com)
Alanna Goldie (Ohio State ... Women's Foil ... Fr. ... Calgary, Alberta)
Chris Monti (Duke ... Men's Sabre ... Fr. ... Chicago, IL)
Chantal Montrose (Temple ... Women's Epee ... Sr. ... Alexandria, VA)
Alexa Rohan (Stanford ... Women's Sabre ... Fr. ... Stony Brook, NY)
Jorge Rojas (Stevens Tech ... Men's Foil ... Jr. ... Guaynabo, Puerto Rico)
Zuzanna Sobczak (Wayne State ... Women's Foil ... So./Fr. ... Gdansk, Poland))
Gracie Stone (Princeton ... Women's Sabre ... So. ... Chicago, IL)
Christian Vastola (NYU ... Men's Foil ... So. ... Briarcliff Manor, NY)
• National Fencer of the Week and Rookie of the Week to be announced later today and will be posted via the Awards tab (along with full release, including photos & info. on all eight honorees).
Penn State Invitational – Results (1–12–14); courtesy CF360
Note – more details (individual highlights and hey bout info.) still being added to this page, as we receive the information. Content provided courtesy of College Fencing 360.
PENN STATE INVITATIONAL – Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014
(White Gymnasium … University Park, PA) courtesy CollegeFencing360.com
MEN'S RESULTS
Columbia (5-0 … 101-34 … foil 31-14 … epee 36-9 … sabre 34-11) – did not face Penn
Columbia men def. Penn State, 15-12 (foil 3-6 … epee 6-3 … sabre 6-3)
Columbia men def. Duke, 16-11 (foil 5-4 … epee 7-2 … sabre 4-5)
Columbia men def. North Carolina, 20-7 (foil 8-1 … epee 6-3 … sabre 6-3)
Columbia men def. Haverford, 23-4 (foil 6-3 … epee 8-1 … sabre 9-0)
Columbia men def. Drew, 27-0 (foil 9-0 … epee 9-0 … sabre 9-0)
Penn State (5-1 … 114-21 … foil 43-2 … epee 35-10 … sabre 36-9) – see above for loss vs. Columbia
Penn State men def. Univ. of Pennsylvania, 23-4 (foil 9-0 … epee 7-2 … sabre 7-2)
Penn State men def. Duke, 18-9 (foil 7-2 … epee 5-4 … sabre 6-3)
Penn State men def. North Carolina, 21-6 (foil 9-0 … epee 7-2 … sabre 5-4)
Penn State men def. Haverford, 25-2 (foil 9-0 … epee 7-2 … sabre 9-0)
Penn State men def. Drew, 27-0 (foil 9-0 … epee 9-0 … sabre 9-0)
Guest Column: 2013 NCAA Women's Sabre Projection, by Caroline Vloka (Harvard '12)
Former Harvard standout Caroline Vloka is CF360's final guest columnist for 2013 NCAA analysis and projection. Vloka certainly can speak from experience, as she was in the running for the NCAA women's saber title all four years of her career (5th or higher each season). Vloka won the NCAA title as a sophomore, one rear after losing in the 2009 final vs. eventual 3-time champion Becca Ward of Duke. As a junior, Vloka made a third straight trip to the medal round (top-4) and narrowly missed a top-4 finish as a senior (5th).
By Caroline Vloka (Harvard '12)
The NCAA Fencing Championship is a competition unlike any other. It is fast-paced, and every five-touch bout counts for more than any fencer would like. The pool bout in sabre goes by so quickly that it's almost as if you hadn’t fenced at all. It is very unnerving after the first round, to see that more than 1/5th of the competition is already over. It is hard to recover from a two-bout loss early on, and the mindset is everything.
This competition tests your mental toughness.The fencer must change the strategy from one opponent to the next, within only a few minutes.The competitors are some of the best in the county, and each fencer is pushed to their mental limits in trying to compose a new approach for each bout.
Guest Column: 2013 NCAA Women's Epee Projection, by Lydia Kopecky (Columbia '13)
Columbia senior epeeist Lydia Kopecky was gracious enough to provide us with her insight and projections on the 2013 NCAA women's epee field. Kopecky had a disappointing and sudden end to her own 2013 season, placing lower than expected at the Northeast Regional following a very strong season leading up to that point. The two-time All-American and there-time NCAA qualifier currently is 9th in the U.S. women's epee ranking and is a regular competitor at international tournaments.
(see CF360 front page for links to other 2013 NCAA guest columns)
By Lydia Kopecky (Columbia '13)
By far, the NCAA field for women's epee in 2013 is stronger than it hass been in years. With two Olympic medalists, three former NCAA individual champions, countless U.S. National Team members, and many foreign national team members, I predict the results of this weekend are going to come down to indicators (total points margin). Because of how strong the field is, I believe there won't be a decisive and predicable top four, but rather an extremely strong top-8 that is fighting for every touch. The pressure will be high and I think there will be some unpredictable 5-touch upsets from the beginning, making every future bout count if anyone will be in line for a title. I predict that all of the top-8 will be seasoned NCAA fencers and that experience will be key to success at this tournament.
Guest Column: 2013 NCAA Men's Foil Observations, by Reggie Bentley (Notre Dame '12)
By Reggie Bentley (Notre Dame '12) –
The fencers in the 2013 NCAA men’s foil event have the honor and misery of competing in what is probably the strongest NCAA men’s foil field ever assembled. This year’s competition includes three former NCAA individual champions, three Olympians, and numerous former team champions. Suffice it to say that it is very likely several former champions of the individual event may very well not make the final four (semifinals).
It therefore goes without saying that any predictions about this year’s results are difficult to make at best. We have some help, however, with the completion of one day of the competition — but there was no surprise Thursday about one fencer: Gerek Meinhardt. After an undefeated first day, Notre Dame’s finest came out first in the field, just ahead of freshman Michael Dudey of Princeton. Dudey is one of several freshmen to excel in the tournament this year, along with Meinhardt’s former teammate and fellow Olympian, Alexander Massialas (Stanford), who recorded 12 victories for his school.
Guest Column: 2013 NCAA Men's Sabre Projection, by Aleks Ochocki (Penn State '12)
We have a special treat leading into the 2013 NCAA Fencing Championship, as former Penn State great Aleks Ochoki has sent along his observations and predictions – penned during the long flight to Moscow (Russia, not Idaho), no less, for an upcoming World Cup. Ochocki won the NCAA sabre title in 2009, edging fellow freshman and 2012 U.S. Olympian Daryl Homer in a 15-14 classic, and he closed his career with a second title in 2012 (over former Harvard fencer Valentin Staller). Ochocki, who spent this season as an assistant coach at Steevns Tech, remains active at international competitions and currently is the 7th-ranked U.S. men's sabre fencer. …
2009 Men's-Sabre Final
Daryl Homer/StJ vs. Aleks Ochocki/PSU; photos+video hybrid, from CF360
__________________________________
My observations and predictions for the 2013 NCAA men's sabre competition
by Aleks Ochocki
The NCAA fencing championships is one of the rare collegiate championship where every competitor tests their skills against everyone in their field. The field is set and the regular season stats don't matter anymore, every point could decide each fencer's chances on the possibility to be crowned NCAA champion (and, in some cases, to help win the team title).