There will now be a third Brandeis fencer at the NCAA Championships. Will Friedman '09 received one of the two men's foil at-large bids in the nation to join teammates Eugene Vortsman '08 and Jeremy Simpson '06 in Houston March 16-19.Friedman finished 11th in the men's foil competition at the NCAA northeast regionals last Sunday, but still qualified thanks to a strong regular season, which included a 31-13 record and an individual championship in the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference.

"I was happy to hear, but also was taken aback, because at regionals I was thinking it was the end of the season." Friedman said. "Now I have to train."

Friedman found out he qualified for the NCAA championships when coach Bill Shipman broke the news at practice on Tuesday. Vortsman was sparring with Friedman when he heard the news.

"[Shipman] walked in and he was like 'Will, you got it,' and I just threw off my mask and jumped on him," Vortsman said.

Having already spearheaded the team's University Athletic Association championship, the foil team now will send both Friedman and Vortsman to the NCAA championships.

"Two guys is the maximum that you can send per weapon, so I think it proves that, throughout the entire season, [the foil team] was as strong as it should be," Vortsman said.

Friedman said he is excited to compete in his first NCAA championship, but still had a modest outlook.

"I expect to just fence the best I can and to try to have fun with it," he said. "I go into [the NCAA championships] with very few expectations.