From Brandeis University Athletics
The Brandeis University fencing team had one of its most successful performances at the NCAA Northeast Regional Qualifier today at Wellesley College. The Judges had three fencers in position to earn automatic bids and one up for an at-large position when the qualifiers for the 2014 NCAA National Collegiate Championships are announced on Tuesday. The NCAA championships will be held at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, March 20-23.
Leading the way for the Judges was sophomore Caroline Mattos (Cumberland, R.I./La Salle Acad.). Mattos had one of the best finishes ever for the Judges at the regional championships, placing fourth overall, just one touch short of a bronze medal. Seeded 12th headed into the event, Mattos went 5-1 in her opening pool, outtouching her opponents 28-8 to advance to the round of 21 in the sixth spot. She went 3-3 in the second round, including a win over Harvard silver medalist Alex Kiefer, earning the 11th of 12 spots in the finals due to a plus-one touch differential, or indicator (22-21). Though Kiefer got her revenge in the finals, Mattos went 7-4 with a plus-10 indicator (44-34), to finish in fourth place behind Columbia's Jessica Laffey by just one touch. Mattos, who defeated Laffey head-to-head, 5-3, in the final round, also defeated opponents from St. John's, Cornell, Yale and Brown in the last 12. Mattos, who finished seventh in the region in 2013, is in line for her second-straight NCAA championship berth. She tied with an MIT sabre fencer for highest finish by a Division III woman today.
"Caroline showed a high level of consistency and composure in placing fourth overall," said head coach Bill Shipman. "She started slowly in the final but finished strong and without fatigue. She has fenced well and consistently all season and continued today."