Four of Brandeis University's top fencers have earned themselves a seat at the NCAA National Collegiate Fencing Championships this year due to excellent performances in the NCAA Northeast Regionals held at Columbia University last weekend. From the men's epee team, Kai Keller '07 and Andrew Sofer, '07 have qualified for the competition along with Benji Rostoker '05, who will be representing the foil squad. The three men will join Jessica Lewis-Turner '04 on epee from the women's side, at the Championships to be held at Brandeis on March 25-28.
Individual records during the regular season in addition to the results of the Regional competition determined the final qualifiers for the championships. The top seven epee fencers move on, and the leading eight from both saber and foil are eligible to compete.
Each fencer was placed in a group of five competitors, and pending the outcome of the first round of bouts, advanced to the top ten. These athletes played another set of bouts, and their records for the Regional tournament were combined with their season rankings to determine the overall seat placement for each fencer.
Keller (Benefield, Germany) finished fifth overall. Andrew Sofer (Kew Gardens, NY) entered the tournament ranked 13th, but earned himself an eighth place final seat with brilliant play. Benji Rostoker (Philadelphia, PA) also secured a number eight ranking in his weapon.
Lewis-Turner (Haverford, PA) was situated at number eight after seasonal competition, but boasted a fifth place finish at Regionals. After combining her scores, Lewis-Turner pulled off a seventh place overall victory, securing her place among the women's competitors at the NCAA Championships. This will be her second NCAA appearance.
"Jessica did very well to get to the final," coach Bill Shipman said. " She then had a little trouble, but managed to win her last bout 5-4."
Keller has had a tremendous first season at Brandeis, with a top seat ranking at the New England Championships at Tufts and a 4th place finish at the IFA Championships. He is excited for the upcoming tournament, although he acknowledges the obstacles he and his teammates will be facing.
"The big plus on our side is that we are all very motivated since we have the NCAA's here at Brandeis this year," Keller said. "On the other side this is a burden too, since it puts a lot of pressure on us. Nevertheless, I feel confident that our top fencers will make it."
Sofer has also made a name for himself this season, finishing second, just behind Keller at the New England Championships. Coach Shipman praised Sofer for his outstanding performance for the day.
"Andrew is a little less experienced, but he won a couple of crucial bouts to earn his title," Shipman said.
Rostoker also placed first in his weapon at the New England Championships and seventh at the IFA tourney to pave the way for an impressive post-season ranking.
The NCAA Championships have been held as a combined event since 1990, with the points for the individual men and women fencers from each school pooling to yield a total team score. The school winning the most bouts earns the title. Brandeis sent two fencers to the 2003 Championships and took home a tie for 21st place.