UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Two Tritons finished as All-Americans as the University of California San Diego fencing team wrapped up men's competition at the NCAA National Collegiate Championships Friday.

Sophomore Vedran Markota placed ninth in Men's Epee and junior Benjamin Hadler was 10th in Men's Foil at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

Markota, the 2020 Croatian national champion, posted a 12-11 record over five rounds of bouts. He carried a +3 indicator with 79 touches scored and 76 touches against. It was his first trip to the National Collegiate Championships.

Hadler, the Tritons' Foil Squad Captain, went 13-9 over five rounds. He had a +16 indicator with 88 touches scored and 72 touches against. It was his second career All-America honor as he placed 12th in 2019. Hadler is now a three-time Nationals qualifier. He earned a berth in 2020, however the NCAA canceled its winter and spring championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic a week before the event was scheduled to begin.

To earn All-America accolades, a competitor must finish in the top-12 among the 24-fencer field. 

Senior Ziad Khayat, also a three-time Nationals qualifier, placed 21st in Epee. He went 9-14 with a -16 indicator. Freshman Lawrence Song placed 17th in Foil, going 9-13 with a -4 indicator. Junior Justin Park and sophomore Justin Cho finished 13th and 14th, respectively, in Saber. Both fencers went 12-11. Park gathered a +6 indicator and Cho compiled a +5. Park also qualified in 2020. 

Penn State's Ryan Griffiths won the Epee national title, Notre Dame's Marcello Olivares took the Foil crown, and Luke Linder, also out of Notre Dame, is the Saber champion.

Over the five rounds Thursday and Friday, the six Tritons combined for 67 victories, landing UC San Diego in sixth place among the 15 men's teams. Overall, the Tritons had a +10 indicator with 496 touches scored and 486 touches against.

Notre Dame is atop the team leader board with 105 points. Penn State (96) is second, Boston College (73) is third, NJIT (72) is fourth, and Duke (69) is fifth.

The women take over the strips starting Saturday at 6 a.m. PDT with three rounds of round-robin bouts. For UC San Diego, freshman Tean Brooks and senior Emma Zmurk will compete in Epee, junior Erica Kuen and senior Konami Masui represent in Foil, and freshman Janna Aboudaher and junior Julia Hill will contend in Saber. 

Sunday at 6 a.m. PDT, the women take part in two more rounds of round-robin bouts followed by semifinals and finals. The top four fencers in each weapon advance to the semis with the winners fencing for first and second places and the non-advancing competitors tying for third.

The team championship will be decided Sunday. Each team receives a point for every victory its fencers score throughout the four days, with the highest scoring team - men and women combined - coming away with the national championship.

All action at Nationals can be followed with live video and live results. In addition, all finals will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

HEAD COACH JUAN IGNACIO CALDERON SAYS
• "We had a mixed day with Foil coming up stronger. We were solid in Saber and weaker in Epee. Looking at the totals of the two days, Saber delivered 24 wins, Foil 22, and Epee 21 for our total of 67."
 
• "In the team rankings, we fell to sixth place, but we are in a close fight for third with Boston College, NJIT, and Duke. I am confident the women's team is going to give it their all to come out on top over the next two days."

THE TEAM
For the first time, UC San Diego is fielding a full team of 12 at Nationals, meaning that two men and two women will compete in each of the three weapons. The Triton roster includes three freshmen, two sophomores, four juniors, and three seniors. UC San Diego is one of just three institutions with a full team as Notre Dame and Penn State also have 12 competitors. Here's a look at UC San Diego's roster.

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