Fencing Looks for First Team National Title

For the Columbia fencing team, the 2006-07 season has been a set of goals. First, compete well throughout the nonconference schedule. Second, win the Ivy League. Third, qualify 12 fencers at the NCAA Regionals. Fourth, come back to Morningside Heights with the national title.

As the NCAA Championships get underway today in Madison, N.J., the only goal left to be checked off the list is the final one.

Columbia boasts one of its strongest teams in the school's history as the Lions head to Nationals, but despite accomplishing all of its goals so far, success against the country's best will only come from strong mental preparation.

"The training that you work on all the time is to deal with the moment," head coach George Kolombatovich said. "It is a very common thing to think about what you want to have happen. If you are thinking about winning, then you forget the steps that you need to accomplish to do that winning. We just need to focus on every touch, and that is easier said than done."

At the four-day event, each Columbia fencer will fight 23 bouts in a round-robin format against all the other competitors in that discipline. The four fencers in each weapon who combine for the most touches scored and least touches taken will advance to a direct elimination bracket where they will compete for individual medals.

The 12 Lion fencers will be broken down into six per gender, two in each weapon. One point is scored for a school with a victory in one of the 23 five-touch bouts and, should a fencer advance, a victory in the 15-touch direct-elimination matches. Team championships are handed out by gender, and the combined championship goes to the school that records the most victories by its qualified fencers.

"The NCAA Regionals is a good test for our fencers because they compete in more bouts in one day there than they do at all of Nationals," Kolombatovich added. "All the little injuries that have occurred throughout the course of the season have been able to heal properly, and the team is ready for this opportunity."

Competing for Columbia in men's sabre will be seniors James Williams and Alex Krul, with Krul taking the gold medal at NCAA Regionals two weekends ago. In men's epee, sophomores Dwight Smith and Max Czapanskiy will be the Lion representatives, as Smith makes a return appearance to Nationals, having competed there last season. Men's foil will see senior Scott Sugimoto and freshman Kurt Getz fight for Columbia, with Sugimoto looking to improve on last season's bronze-medal performance at the NCAA Championships.

On the women's side, junior Emily Jacobson and sophomore Daria Schneider will compete in sabre, making up what could be considered the most powerful women's sabre duo in the nation. Jacobson is also looking to take home the gold medal this year after finishing with silver at last year's event. Women's epee will feature freshman Tess Finkel and senior Alexie Rubin, with Rubin making her third trip to the NCAA Championships. In women's foil, two seniors will compete for Columbia, as Kathleen Reckling and Cassidy Luitjen both make their third and final trips to Nationals.

"The one thing about our team, and I can say this about only a few other programs, is that every one of our fencers is strong," Kolombatovich said. "All of our fencers either have competed at Nationals or have fought in the top national and international events, so they all understand pressure and how to handle it."

Columbia's biggest competition will come from the two schools that also qualified 12 fencers, Penn State and St. John's, along with the two programs that qualified 11 in Ohio State and Notre Dame. The Lions have already faced three of those four teams earlier this season at the NYU Duals, but in the more individual format of the NCAA Championships, the dominant team performance seen in January will be more difficult to come by.

"We know we are going to be competing against some of the best fencers both nationally and internationally," Kolombatovich said. "We've really got to focus on each bout. I know that our adrenaline is running, and we're all excited for what could be."