When Tim Morehouse '00 arrived on the Brandeis campus in the fall of 1996, he did so as a lightly recruited fencer who didn't think he would continue after his college career. Twelve years later, Morehouse not only still fences, but will do so on the world's greatest stage.Morehouse will become the first Brandeis alumnus ever to compete in the Olympic Games, having clinched second place in the U.S. men's saber standings with only a few international events remaining before the Olympics.

The top three sabers on that list will make up the starting lineup for the U.S. Olympic Saber Team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

"It's going to be amazing to be with the other athletes from the U.S. and to be representing the United States and also Brandeis," Morehouse said. "I'm really excited to be Brandeis' first Olympian, and I'm looking forward to enjoying the entire process."

Morehouse learned he had qualified after the U.S. saber team officially earned a spot in the Olympics in the Alger Grand Prix event March 24. That qualification guaranteed the United States three spots on its saber squad, and Morehouse had already locked up second place with just over two months remaining in the qualifying season.

Morehouse did qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Athens as an alternate, finishing fourth in the standings, but while he was able to travel with the team, he did not get a chance to compete.

Despite not fencing in an Olympic bout that year, Morehouse said he earned valuable experience that he used to qualify this time.

"It's a matter of being there before," Morehouse said. "Now, I feel very confident that I can perform under the pressure and be able to do it under any kind of circumstances."

Fencing coach Bill Shipman, who recruited Morehouse to Brandeis and coached him when Morehouse was an undergraduate, said he was not surprised to see Morehouse take the next step after just missing a chance to compete in the Athens Olympics.

"Once he got that close, if he was willing to put his job or career aside a little bit and make the sacrifice, I thought he could make the team," Shipman said.

Since graduating, Morehouse has been a part of the U.S. National Team in the World Championships four times and is currently ranked 17th in the world saber rankings. His qualification stemmed from a torrid early-season streak.

Morehouse garnered nine straight top-32 results, including a second-place finish at the Pan-American Games last August and a 15th-place finish at the 2007 World Championships last October.

As a Brandeis undergraduate, Morehouse qualified for the NCAA Championships in his last three seasons, finishing 10th as a sophomore and sixth as a junior. As a senior, Morehouse went 21-2 to finish fourth in the saber division, and Shipman still remembers the manner in which he won many of those bouts.

"He went 21-2 in a strong field of saber fencers, and he was constantly getting behind and coming back to win every bout," Shipman said. "It was quite a performance of not only skill, but also determination and enthusiasm, and he did it for two days straight."

Morehouse's improvement stemmed from that determination and an improved physique. A late-bloomer, Morehouse gradually changed from a skinny 18-year-old kid to a muscular, fast fencer by the time he graduated.

"He developed late physically," Shipman said. "By 20 years old, he had filled out, was much more powerful and faster than he was in high school. He was kind of thin and gangly as a teenager."

Morehouse now trains in New York, at the well-known Manhattan Fencing Center, under the watch of U.S. Olympic Team coach Yury Gelman.

Shipman said he expected Morehouse to be successful with fencing after college, but admits that even he is stunned by Morehouse's development.

"I definitely wouldn't have thought he could be one of the best fencers in the world," Shipman said. "I thought he could compete nationally, . but the fact that he went to the next level, nobody would have expected that from him out of college.