ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell women's fencing team qualified five competitors for the upcoming 2022 NCAA Fencing Championships after reaching the finals at Sunday's Northeast Regional at Vassar College. Only two teams qualified the maximum of six fencers for nationals out of the regional meet.

Saber was the last to start and the first event to finish on Sunday, and Esther Bentolila punched her ticket to the championship with an eighth-place finish. The top 12 qualified for finals. She advanced ninth entering the finals and moved up one place on the final ladder by going 6-5 in the round robin against the top 12. Gillian Harrill took 17th, Amita Hanadari-Levy was 20th and Keona Moya was a spot behind her out of 39 of the region's top fencers.

Megan Eno and Gabrielle Hill qualified for nationals in epee, taking eighth and ninth places, respectively. Eno was 5-6 and Hill went 4-7 in the finals. Clarice Lim took 14th and Emma Ni was 17th out of 49 fencers that qualified for the regional.

Asherah Horsley and Renata Chusid rounded out the NCAA qualifiers with their efforts in foil. Horsley finished ninth and Chusid 10th as the Big Red had four among the top 17. Madeleine Nishimura took 16th and Ying Cao a spot behind.

Cornell's five qualifiers will head to the NCAA Championships beginning on Thursday, March 24 at Notre Dame.