Foil Will Friedman '09 entered last weekend's NCAA Fencing Championships with low expectations for himself. Then he left as a second team all-American. Appearing in his third consecutive NCAA Championship, Friedman finished in seventh place out of 24 foils, winning 14 of his 23 bouts during the two-day tournament.

"[Friedman] wasn't intimidated by anybody and he held his own. He even beat opponents he had trouble with in the past. He gave every fencer he competed against a problem," captain and foil Eugene Vortsman '08 said.

The three-person delegation of Friedman, Vortsman and epée Caitlin Kozel '09 scored 25 points combined, putting the Judges in a tie for 17th place overall with Cornell University and the University of North Carolina. Vortsman finished 14th among foils with 11 bout victories, while Kozel finished last of the 24 epeés with six bout wins. Ohio State University won the title with 185 points, nine better than the University of Notre Dame.

Twenty-four collegiate fencers per weapon qualified for the NCAA Championships, which includes members of Division I and III teams. During the initial pool play, each fencer competes in one bout against each of the 23 other fencers. The four fencers with the most victories qualify for the final bracket in a single-elimination tournament, with fencers competing in 15-point bouts to determine the winners.

Friedman finished in 22nd place in 2006 and 23rd last season, but improved significantly on those finishes. Three of his wins came against fencers from Ohio State and Notre Dame. He defeated Ohio State rookie Ben Parkins 5-4, and Notre Dame rookies Steve Kubik and Zach Schirtz by 5-4 and 5-3 margins, respectively.

"There were close matches I could have won, but I fought for every touch and every point. There is no single bout I can point to and say 'I should have won that.' There are a few 4-4 bouts that I could have won, but I have no regrets," Friedman said.

In his first return to the NCAA Championships since finishing 15th in 2006, Vortsman came in two spots lower than that in the final meet of his career.

"He wasn't quite as steady as [Friedman]," coach Bill Shipman said. "Tactically, he could have made some better adjustments and use his counter attacks more effectively. He was a bit off target during some bouts."

Still, Vortsman's final bout of the NCAA Championships provided to be a climactic end to his career.

During the NCAA Northeast Regional Fencing Championship March 2, Farrag defeated Vortsman in the semifinals to deny him a berth in the final pool, forcing Vortsman to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. This time, Vortsman routed Farrag 5-0 for a measure of revenge.

Despite storming past her competition at the NCAA Regional Championships to qualify, Kozel finished last among the 24 competitors, matching her performance at the NCAA Championships last season.

Kozel ended the first day of the competition in 19th place with five bout victories, but just like last season, she struggled on the second day, winning only one of her 12 bouts.

"The first day I was proud of how I performed, but the second day I bombed out. I got a little intimidated and frustrated at the end. When I fell behind in a bout, things got a little more challenging. I just needed to have a better mindset," Kozel said.

Two of Kozel's victories came against top competition, however, as she defeated the second-place finisher, St. John's University senior Reka Szele, 5-4 and the third-place finisher, Notre Dame rookie Ewa Nelip, 5-3. Kozel struggled against the rest of the field, losing 17 of her remaining 21 bouts.

"[Kozel] tends to beat the good fencers, but have trouble with fencers who are more unorthodox," Vortsman said.

The fencing teams will return most of their commonly used fencers, with Vortsman and women's team captain foil Stefanie Aucoin '08 being the only significant departures. Friedman will gun for his fourth consecutive NCAA Championships appearance, while Kozel will look to make it back for the third consecutive season.