ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red fencing team will send four participants – junior
Victoria Wines, seniors
Ediona Sera and
Angelica Gangemi, and freshman
Zoee D'Costa – to the upcoming NCAA Tournament, held March 24-27 and hosted by Brandies University at Gosman Sports and Convocation Center in Waltham, Mass. The four selections matches a Cornell record, previously set during the 2008 season, while Gangemi becomes the first Big Red fencer to compete in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Coming off a silver medal finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional a week ago, Wines enters the tournament as one of the favorites in the women's epee event. A year ago, she became the first Big Red fencer to medal, taking home the bronze after placing 14th overall as a freshman.
Sera returns to the NCAAs for the second consecutive year after a sixth place finish in the women's foil at last weekend's regional. Last year, she placed 22nd overall at the championships.
Gangemi earned her fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament after a 10th place finish in the women's foil at the NCAA Northeast Regional. The senior finished 24th overall a year ago after taking 14th and 16th, respectively, as a freshman and sophomore.
D'Costa will make her NCAA Tournament debut after an outstanding finish at the NCAA Northeast Regional, where she took fifth in the saber event.
The National Collegiate Men's and Women's Fencing Championships include individual events in each of the six weapons (men's e´pe´e, men's foil, men's sabre, women's e´pe´e, women's foil and women's sabre).
Fencers will compete in a round-robin format of five-touch bouts. After the round-robin, the top-four finishers in each weapon will fence in semifinal 15-touch bouts, with the winners fencing to determine first and second places, and the non-advancing fencers being awarded a tie for third place.
An institution's place finish in the championships will be based on points earned by each individual. A team will be awarded one point for each victory by its student-athletes for the duration of the championships.
