LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego fencing teams opened the 2011-12 season over the weekend, hosting the 16th Annual Bladerunner Tournament Saturday and Sunday at RIMAC Arena.

Part of the Regional Open Circuit, the individual U.S. Fencing competition featured fencers from across the country, as a total of 187 competitors descended on La Jolla for the event.

The Tritons, who are coming off their seventh consecutive Intercollegiate Fencing Conference of Southern California (IFCSC) titles on both the men's and women's sides last season, gained valuable experience from their first competition and several UCSD fencers came away with impressive results.

Senior Michael Fong was the champion of the men's foil event, winning the gold medal in a field with 43 entries. Freshman Jeffrey Chan finished 13th in his first meet as a member of the Tritons.

In men's epee, freshman Adam Campbell-Kruger finished ninth overall, while teammate Luc Ginestet finished 14th. Former Triton Tim Marsh returned to compete in his specialty and finished fifth.

UCSD also fared well in men's sabre, with sophomore standout Nic Bartuzik placing sixth to lead the Triton contingent. Fellow sophomore Bryson Abilay took 11th, while Jonathan Ott, another Triton alum, placed second.

On the women's side, UCSD's best results came in foil. Senior Julia Wu placed first out of 15 total fencers, while junior Rose Forcier finished second.

Sophomore Munira Gesner finished third in women's sabre, while senior Casey Gillcrist took 17th in women's epee. Gillcrist's finish came in a extremely competitive field of 26 fencers, including former Triton All-American Janet (Wertz) Marsh. She finished third overall.

The Tritons will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Irvine to take part in the Collegiate Open on Sunday.