LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego head fencing coach Juan Ignacio Calderon announced the program's 2025-26 schedule today, which features four regular season events ahead of MPSF and NCAA postseason action.
 
"We are looking forward to building on a strong conclusion to last season," Calderon said. "Facing tough competition is a crucial part of our goal to become a top 10 program in the NCAA, and this season is no different. Our first road trip to the West Invitational in November will allow us to test ourselves early against strong teams such as Harvard, Ohio State, Columbia, Stanford, Air Force and Northwestern."
 
The Tritons will once again open the season at home with the 29th edition of the program's annual tournament, BladeRunner. That event will take place Sept. 20-21 at LionTree Arena. Admission is free, although parking permits are required seven days per week on the UC San Diego campus.
 
This year's West Invitational will be Nov. 22-23 at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. The Tritons will be comfortable in the venue as Air Force hosted the MPSF Championships earlier this year.
 
Two road trips further east round out the regular season. The Philadelphia Invitational is Jan. 16-17, followed by the Northwestern Duals Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
 
Postseason action begins Mar. 7-8 in San Antonio as Incarnate Word hosts the NCAA West Regional Championships and MPSF Championships. Regionals will feature four teams—UC San Diego, Air Force, Incarnate Word and Stanford—while the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) includes everyone except Stanford.
 
The season concludes at the National Collegiate Fencing Championships, which will be hosted by Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on March 19-22. UC San Diego has qualified multiple fencers for the event in 10-straight seasons.
 
The Tritons are coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history. The 2024-25 campaign featured the men's and women's teams both capture the team title at the MPSF Championships for the first time.
 
Individually, the Tritons captured three regional championships, three MPSF championships and sent five fencers to the National Collegiate Fencing Championships. Freshman Katherine Kim led the way at nationals with a seventh-place finish to earn Second Team All-American honors. Of the eight fencers who combined for those accomplishments, Kim is one of seven to return for 2025-26.
 
Calderon is in his eighth season at the helm of the Triton program. This season's squad features 39 scholar-athletes, 18 men and 21 women. There are 27 returners and 12 newcomers.
 
Keep up with Triton fencing all season long on UCSDtritons.com and social media. The program can be found @UCSDfencing on Instagram, X and Facebook.
 
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.