Cornell University Athletics

At Cornell: For the third straight year, Heiss represented Cornell at the NCAA championships. She completed the championships as the Big Red’s top finisher with a 10-13 record, good for 13th place overall. Heiss became just the third women’s fencer in school history to earn All-Ivy honors, as she picked up second-team accolades after leading the Big Red sabre squad with a cumulative record of 12-6 in the Ivy League championship. She finished sixth in individual competition at the IFA championships after helping Cornell to a fourth place finish in team competition. Heiss studied abroad during the fall and missed the first half of the season, but still managed to rank second on the team in wins, posting a 24-6 (.800) record on the season. In her first competition back from the break at the Wellesley Invitational, Heiss did not drop a single bout, going a perfect 12-0. Heiss finished her sophomore season with an overall record of 41-13 (.759) and a 10-8 mark in the Ivy League. She opened the season with an impressive second-place finish at the Temple Open Invitational and ended the year with a 13th-place finish at the NCAA championships. Heiss also took fourth-place at the IFA championships and a sixth- place finish at the NCAA regionals. Heiss had a tremendous freshman season, earning a spot at the NCAA championships and placing 20th at the national meet. She was an impressive 35-14 overall and was 10-8 against Ivy League competition. Heiss placed 10th at the NCAA regional to earn her spot at nationals. She placed 26th out of 126 competitors at the Junior Olympic championships in the Under-20 division in 2006 and won a gold medal at the 2007 Empire State Games with the Hudson Valley fencing team. 

Prior to Cornell: A two-year captain of the Mamaroneck HS fencing team, Heiss finished 22nd at the 2005 junior summer nationals event in sabre. The Empire State Games champion in both 2004 and 2005, Heiss placed first at the Division III NAC and Division I-A summer national events. She also is a black belt in karate and played soccer. 

Personal: Alexandra Stainkamp Heiss is the daughter of Robert and Laura Heiss and has a younger brother. She is enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.