From Brandeis University Athletics

Brandeis University junior Joanne Carminucci (Brewster, N.Y./North Salem) put herself in prime position to reach the NCAA National Collegiate Fencing Championships today with a fine performance at the Northeast Regional today. With the meet held on her home floor of the Gosman Athletic Center, Carminucci has a chance to be the first Judge to reach nationals since 2014.

Seeded 17^th in the women's foil, Carminucci earned a bye into the second round of competition. She posted a 4-2 record in the round of 35 to reach the semifinals as the eighth seed. In the semifinal round, she topped two opponents from Harvard and one each from Brown and Wellesley to move on to the final 12 in the fifth position.  Carminucci went 5-6 among the final 12 to finish in eighth place overall. Her wins came against two opponents from Columbia and one each from Yale, Wellesley and Cornell.

With Columbia fencers taking up four of the top eight slots – two over the maximum qualifiers - Carminucci is all but assured of a berth at the NCAA Fencing Championships, which will be held at Penn State University on March 22 through 25. She will be the first Judge to reach the national championships since Caroline Mattos '16 in 2014, who also competed in foil. The announcement of the field will be made official on Tuesday afternoon.

Women's epee saw three Judges reach the second round. Sophomore Dakota Levy (Merion Station, Pa. / Barrack) went 4-0 in her opening round, while rookie Maddy Vibert (Las Vegas, Nev. / West Career and Tech. Academy) went 3-1 to advance. In the second round, senior Liz Feller (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson), who received a bye, went 2-4 and finished in 23^rd place, while Levy placed 33^rd and Vibert 36^th.

In women's saber action, senior Laura Broffman (East Norwich, N.Y. / Oyster Bay) finished in 30^th place. She went 3-1 in the opening round to advance to the round of 35, but posted only one win in the second round.