LA JOLLA, Calif. — Triton fencing's first dose of action for the 2025-26 season will be in the friendly confines of LionTree Arena this weekend, Sept. 20-21. The 29th annual BladeRunner tournament begins at 8:00 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, with the event running until around 8:00 p.m. both days.
 
Admission is free, but parking permits are required seven days a week on the UC San Diego campus.
 
The below schedule is for Division IA, the division all UC San Diego fencers will be in. The junior division schedule can be viewed here. Live results will be available on Fencing Time Live.
 
THE UC SAN DIEGO SCHEDULE
Saturday (Start Times)
Men's Epee – 8:00 a.m.
Women's Foil – 8:00 a.m.
Women's Saber – 9:30 a.m.
Women's Epee – 2:00 p.m.
 
Sunday (Start Times)
Men's Foil – 8:00 a.m.
Men's Saber – 2:00 p.m.
 
FORMAT
Each weapon begins with pool play. Single-elimination knockout rounds will follow based on the results of pool play. That bracket will continue until a champion is crowned in each division.
 
THIS TIME LAST YEAR
The Tritons' Jacob Levy won the men's foil title at the 2024 edition of BladeRunner. He is back this season to defend his title at the start of his senior season.
 
Last season's event also saw four Tritons finish in the top three: Ben Kim (men's epee), Katherine Kim (women's foil), Scott Lao (men's foil) and Renee Zuhars (women's epee). All four are back this year.
 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will be in Colorado Nov. 22-23 for the West Invitational. Air Force is the host for this year's edition of the competition.
 
MEET THE TEAM
Head coach Juan Ignacio Calderon is in his eighth season leading UC San Diego. The team features 12 newcomers to go along with 27 returners.
 
A CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT
The 2024-25 season saw both the men and women win team MPSF championships for the first time in program history.
 
A FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN
Katherine Kim was one of five Tritons to qualify for last season's National Collegiate Fencing Championships. The then-freshman finished seventh in women's foil to become the 28th All-American in program history and record the third-best finish all-time by a female Triton fencer.
 
THE WEAPONS
• Epee
Epee is the heaviest of the weapons. The target to score points is the entire body. It is the only weapon where points can be awarded to both sides if there is a double touch.
• Foil
Foil is the lightest of the three weapons and enacts a rule called right-of-way. Whoever is coming forward with the attack gets the point unless their opponent takes the right-of-way from them by parrying (deflecting/blocking) their blade. The target area for scoring points is the chest and the torso, marked by a light metallic vest called a lamé. 
• Sabre
Sabre also employs the right-of-way rule, but sabreurs and sabreuses slash instead of stab. Sabre touches happen so quickly that the referees won't even start the three-minute clock used to time the bout.

FENCING GLOSSARY
• Advance: Take a step towards one's opponent.
• Attack: Movement or series of movements by which a fencer tries to score a point. In foil and saber, the fencer who attacks first acquires the "right-of-way." In order to execute an attack properly (i.e. one that the referee will acknowledge), the fencer's hand must be clearly extending towards their opponent's valid target in a threatening manner.
• Beat: Sharp tap on the opponent's blade to initiate an attack or provoke a reaction.
• En Garde: Position taken before fencing commences.
• Feint: A false attack intended to get a defensive reaction from the opposing fencer, thus creating the opportunity for a genuine attack ("feint-disengage attack").
• Fleche: Explosive, running attack (foil and epee only).
• Flunge: Action unique to sabre – a combination of a lunge and a fleche. Evolved recently after the FIE modified sabre rules in 1992 to prohibit running attacks.
• Lunge: Most common attacking technique, in which the fencer launches themselves at their opponent by pushing off from the back leg (which generally remains stationary).
• Parry: Defensive action in which a fencer blocks their opponent's blade.
• Point-in-Line: Action in which the fencer, who is generally out of attacking range, points their weapon at their opponent with their arm fully extended. A fencer who establishes a point in line has right-of-way, and their opponent cannot attack until they remove the blade from line by executing a beat.
• Recover: The return to the en guarde position after lunging.
• Riposte: Defender's offensive action immediately after parrying their opponent's attack.
• Second Intention: A tactic in which a fencer executes a convincing, yet false, action in hopes of drawing a true, committed reaction from their opponent.
• Stop Hit, Stop Cut (sabre only): A counter-action made at the moment of an opponent's hesitation, feint, or poorly executed attack. To be awarded the point, the fencer attempting to stop hit must clearly catch their opponent's tempo. Hence, if their Stop Hit is not "in time," the referee may award the touch to their attacker.
• Strip: Fencing area, 14 meters long by 2 meters wide.
• Touch: Score a point.
 
BE SOCIAL
The UC San Diego Fencing Team can be found on Facebook, Instagram and X. The team's handle is @ucsdfencing.
 
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 in NCAA Division I. The 24-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 39 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 NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.