LA JOLLA, Calif. – The UC San Diego fencing team begins its 2022 competition slate this week as it travels to Illinois for the prestigious Northwestern Duals.
The event runs Feb. 5-6 at Northwestern University's Ryan Fieldhouse in Evanston, Ill. The Triton men and women, both receiving votes in the mid-season coaches' national poll, will face many of the top squads in the country.
Saturday, the UC San Diego women take on Air Force, Cleveland State, No. 4 Cornell, No. 14 North Carolina, and No. 2 Notre Dame. The men will go against Cleveland State, Incarnate Word, Lawrence, No. 9 North Carolina, and No. 1 Notre Dame.
Sunday, the Triton men go up against Air Force, Boston College, Detroit Mercy, No. 4 Ohio State, and Wayne State. The women fence Boston College, Detroit Mercy, Fairleigh Dickinson, Lawrence, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 9 Temple, and Wayne State.
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THE SCHEDULE
Saturday, February 5 (all times Pacific)
6:15 a.m.: Men vs. Incarnate Word, Women vs. No. 4 Cornell
8:35 a.m.: Men vs. No. 9 North Carolina, Women vs. Air Force
9:45 a.m.: Men vs. Cleveland State, Women vs. Cleveland State
11:30 a.m.: Women vs. No. 14 North Carolina
12:40 p.m.: Men vs. No. 1 Notre Dame, Women vs. No. 2 Notre Dame
1:50 p.m.: Men vs. Lawrence
Sunday, February 6 (all times Pacific)
6:00 a.m.: Men vs. No. 4 Ohio State, Women vs. No. 9 Temple
7:10 a.m.: Men vs. Boston College, Women vs. Boston College
8:20 a.m.: Men vs. Wayne State, Women vs. Lawrence
9:30 a.m.: Men vs. Detroit Mercy, Women vs. Detroit Mercy/Wayne State
11:10 a.m.: Women vs. No. 6 Ohio State
12:20 p.m.: Men vs. Air Force, Women vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
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LIVE COVERAGE
Northwestern will be providing result updates throughout both days. In addition, several live video feeds will be available to watch the action on different strips. You can access those links on our
schedule page.
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THE TRITON LINEUP
Men's Epee:
Brandon Chien,
Andrew Graber,
Isaac Ive,
Vedran Markota,
Justin Phen
Women's Epee:
Logan Daranouvong,
Tiara Kwon,
Samantha Sayson,
Anika Soin
Men's Foil:
Jason Chin,
Daman Heer,
Nathan Jeong,
Lawrence Song
Women's Foil:
Alex Brondum,
Rafaella Gomes,
Erica Kuen,
Kyra Wu
Men's Saber:
Phileas Auray,
Shawn Kim,
Justin Park
Women's Saber:
Roxane Cayrat,
Julia Hill,
Ariane Mohabir,
Sarah Shen
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FALL 2021 COMPETITION
UC San Diego competed in three events in November and December of 2021.
The Tritons hosted the 25th running of their BladeRunner Tournament at RIMAC Arena, where they fenced to 11 top-10 finishes. Men's Epee produced a big highlight with senior
Ziad Khayat finishing first and freshman
Milan Rona taking second. Junior
Sarah Shen also found the podium with a third-place finish in Women's Saber.
At the Western Invitational hosted by Air Force, junior
Shawn Kim recorded an incredible 19-5 record in Men's Saber. On the women's side, freshmen
Logan Daranouvong and
Rafaella Gomes each went 15-11, Daranouvong in Epee and Gomes in Foil.
To wrap up 2021, the Tritons took part in the Elite Invitational, hosted by Ohio State. The men went 5-1 with wins over Cleveland State, Johns Hopkins, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn, and Wayne State. It was the first time they had ever defeated the Buckeyes and Quakers. The women went 4-4, defeating Cleveland State, Denison, Johns Hopkins, and Wayne State.
Kim was tabbed the first-ever MPSF Men's Fencer of the Week in mid-November. Senior saber fencer
Julia Hill earned MPSF Female Fencer of the Week in early December.
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WHAT HEAD COACH JUAN IGNACIO CALDERON HAS TO SAY
"We are looking forward to the next two months of competition. With the Northwestern Duals, our last regular season meet, we expect to significantly improve our record for both the men's and women's teams. This competition will determine who from the team will qualify for the NCAA West Regionals and the MPSF Championships with the goal of qualifying a strong team for the NCAA National Collegiate Championships. We are very happy with the work we have done so far, but it is now time to stay focused and deliver results."
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UP NEXT
The Tritons will be heading to San Antonio, Texas, for two major events. The NCAA Regionals will take place March 12 while the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championships will follow on March 13. Both will be held at the Alice P. McDermott Center.
This is the first season that the MPSF is sponsoring collegiate fencing. Joining UC San Diego in the league are Air Force, Incarnate Word, and Stanford.
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THE 2022 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE FENCING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The NCAA National Collegiate Fencing Championships are scheduled for March 23-26 at Notre Dame in Indiana. In 2021, UC San Diego placed a program-best seventh as the Tritons fielded a full team of 12 for the first time ever.
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About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.