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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)
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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)
By Caroline Vloka (Harvard '12)
The NCAA Championship is a true testament to a fencer’s quick thinking, ingenuity and resolve. The continuous slew of 5-touch bouts forces the fencers to change their tactics quickly and on the fly. There can only be one or two touches to get to know what works or what doesn’t before you are in deep trouble or near a victory. This year, the women’s sabreNCAA Championships represents a new field of young and talented fencers. Just like the women’s epee pool, there are no previous NCAA champions in the pool! This allows for a very exciting competition. Though there are no NCAA champions, there are many old faces, and many promising new rookies. Lets take a look at some predictions for possibilities for the top 4:
Princeton's Gracie Stone reached the semifinals in her rookie season last year (when her sister Eliza took the Championship title.) Gracie is an incredibly smart fencer. She has her own style and forces her opponent to play her game. She is a very dangerous combination of athleticism and strategy and she is definitely a forerunner for the championship title.
Harvard's Adrienne Jarocki is my second prediction for top 4. This is her first NCAA season, and is my only rookie prediction for top-4. I have had the pleasure of watching Adrienne fence this season, and it is clear why her opponents have so much trouble fencing her. She is an extremely confident fencer. She is very nimble and smart in her fencing. She uses her height and her speed to her advantage to create great actions that are impressive to watch.
Nicole Glon is in her final year at Penn State. This is her fourth year qualifying for the NCAA Championships, an impressive feat that allows the fencer to learn about her own fencing and individual approach to this unique competition. Each year, she has done better in her final finish and I think that this year, she will be in the top four.
Temple's Tiki Kastor is my final prediction for top four. Tiki is a very passionate and intense fencer who pours her heart and soul into her fencing. Her fencing is fun to watch, with the intensity and the ease with which she moves up and down the strip. She is definitely someone to watch this year.
I honestly do not know who will be in top 8, as it is everyone’s game. I am excited to see how the weekend works out!