The magic number for the Columbia fencing team is 12.
On Sunday at the NCAA Northeast Regionals, the Lions will attempt to qualify the maximum number of 12 fencers for the NCAA Championships later this month. The task will not be easy, but is one that the team believes it can achieve.
“I think the team is certainly ready,” head coach George Kolombatovich said. “If you want to go to the show, you have to perform. It’s as simple as that. We have the people who are capable of doing so, but they have to go out there this weekend and actually do it.”
As has been the story throughout the season, Columbia is still feeling the effects of injuries to a number of starters. The Lions’ handling of the pain this weekend will be important in determining how many fencers qualify.
“The big question is definitely the injuries,” Kolombatovich said. “We never had all of our people together and healthy at one time this year, so I would say this has been the worst year I’ve seen in my time here, injury wise. If our fencers are healthy, though, we should do pretty well.”
Columbia expects junior co-captain and former national champion Daria Schneider to make her first appearance since the NYU multi-meet in mid-February as she recovers from an ankle injury. Senior and U.S.-foil-team member Kurt Getz is also expected to take to the strips for the Lions.
“I think Daria is going to be ready and I’m quite certain she’ll do enough to qualify,” Kolombatovich said. “I think Kurt is ready to do something for us. We’re certainly optimistic.”
Junior sabreist Alex Rudnicki and senior co-captain Max Czapanskiy are also expected to compete at MIT despite lingering issues.
The NCAA Championship-qualification equation is divided into two parts: 40 percent is a fencer’s regular-season record and 60 percent is a fencer’s record at regionals, both of which are multiplied by a qualifier index. The result is a very easy-to-read number that makes judgment on fencers a simple process.
“Unlike other NCAA sports, the selection committee uses straight numbers,” Kolombatovich said. “The only issue that comes up for coaches is when you have three qualifiers per weapon, and here at Columbia we always go by the numbers when that happens. We want to get rid of the smoke-filled, back-room selection process because not everything is in a vacuum.”
While not an absolute necessity, it is highly unlikely that a team can make a run at a national championship without qualifying the maximum number of 12 fencers. Without the greatest amount of opportunities to earn bout victories, title contenders will be hard-pressed to compete. For that reason, all that matters is hitting the requisite point value to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships, negating the need to win every possible bout.
“It would be nice to win everything, but we know that this is about qualifying the maximum number possible,” Kolombatovich said. “The team knows how many spots there are available and what they have to do to earn one.”
The NCAA Northeast Regionals begin Sunday at 9 a.m. at MIT.
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