From NYU Athletics
Several members of the New York University men's fencing team had strong performances at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships, which were held at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, on Sunday, March 13.
Six NYU fencers advanced to the 12-man final round of their respective weapons, and five will be headed to the NCAA National Championships at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, on Thursday-Sunday, March 24-27.
Three Violets advanced to the finals in foil. Daniel Sconzo finished ninth overall with five victories in the round, while Philip Shin took 10th place, also with five wins. They both will qualify for Nationals.
Kyle Welch, the third Violet in the foil final, finished in 11th place.
Only two fencers from each school in a particular weapon are eligible to qualify for Nationals.
NYU also had the maximum two qualifiers in sabre, as Grant Williams (fourth place) and Mickey Bak (sixth place) each recorded six wins in the final round and will head to Nationals.
Quinten Burgunder, who also advanced to the sabre final, finished 12th.
The fifth NCAA qualifier for NYU will be Hans Engel, who finished seventh in epee after recording five victories in the final round.
"This is an incredible result," said NYU Head Coach Steve Mormando. "This is the first time since the NCAA went to the maximum six-man format more than 20 years ago that we've qualified five fencers. I am extremely pleased and excited about our chances at Nationals."
The "official" announcement of qualifiers and alternates will be announced on Wednesday.
"Qualifiers are determined based on what happens at regionals and by a strength factor based on a fencer's record throughout the overall season," Mormando explained. "Sixty percent is based on regionals and 40% on the rest. We will definitely qualify these five and have an excellent chance to finish as the top Division III team in the country with a top-10 overall finish within our reach, as well."
The NCAA Championships, which combine both men's and women's team scores for the overall point competition, consists of teams from all NCAA divisions.