March 20, 2013

STANFORD, Calif. - After a dominating performance at the Western Regional Tournament, claiming six regional championships, the Stanford fencing team will continue its pursuit of a national title at the NCAA Championships on March 21-24 in San Antonio, Texas.

Stanford will be represented by 11 fencers - six men and five women - after earning 11 of 12 possible bids for the national tournament. Stanford will have two competitors in men's and women's epee and sabre, two in men's foil and one in women's foil.

There will be a total of 144 competitors among the six events at the championship tournament, co-hosted by The University of the Incarnate Word and San Antonio Sports. The semifinal and championship rounds on Friday, March 22, and Sunday, March 24, will be televised live on ESPN3.com.

Junior Turner Caldwell and freshman Alexander Massialas will represent the men's foil squad. They will try to claim Stanford's first national championship since Felix Reichlingdid so in 2000. Caldwell almost brought home the title in 2012, finishing second and earning All-America honors. Massialas is also expected to be a top contender, boasting a wealth of elite national and international experience - including competing for Team USA at the 2012 London Olympics.

Daniel Wolfson and Cameron Lindsay will pursue Stanford's first championship in men's sabre, while Jake Harbour and Paul Rivierewill challenge in men's epee. Riviere became the 11th Cardinal selected to the national tournament after earning an at-large bid based on his performance throughout the season.

Junior Francesca Bassa and freshman Vivian Kongexpect to challenge for the women's epee title after posting outstanding regular season records of 37-6 and 38-5, respectively. Bassa and Kong will try to claim Stanford's second women's epee championship in school history, joining Felicia Zimmermann who earned the title in 1999.

Avery Youngblood and Atira Richards will compete in women's sabre and pursue Stanford's first championship in the event. Lily McElweeis the lone Cardinal representative in women's foil and will look to improve on her 20th-place finish as a freshman in 2012.

Fencers will compete in a round-robin format of five-touch bouts, with the top four finishers advancing to the semifinals where they will fence in 15-touch bouts. The winners will advance to the finals, while the losers will be awarded a tie for third.

A school's overall finish in the championships will be based on points earned by each of its competitors throughout the competition. A team will be awarded one point for each victory its fencer accumulates for the duration of the tournament.

Stanford's best team finish at the NCAA Championships is third, which it accomplished three times in consecutive years from 1997-99. The Cardinal finished 10th in 2012.

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