Fencers Duel NCAA Rivals

An all-sophomore team of Larry Cetrulo, Geza Tatrallyay, and Tom Keller will fence for Harvard this weekend at the NCAA's in Raleigh, N.C.

Forty-two teams will compete to determine the National Collegiate champion. Teams consist of one man in each weapon--foil, sabre, and epee.

Yesterday, the preliminary qualifying rounds were held to select the 20 fencers who would go on to the semi-finals. Today the semi-finals, a round-robin, competition, will narrow the field to twelve finalists.

In the finals on Saturday the top six fencers in each weapon will win places on the All-American Team. Harvard has not come close to having an All-American since Jonathan Kolb finished in the finals in 1964.

Tournament Champion

The team whose members place highest in the tournament will become the national champion. Columbia won the team championship last year but NYU, CCNY, Army, Navy, and the Ivy League schools always offer strong competition.

Cetrulo in sabre and Tatrallyay in epee are both on the first All-Ivy team, while Keller, in foil, is on the second. Coach Edo Marion chose these three fencers to represent the Crimson last year but NCAA officials would not allow a freshman team to enter, and Harvard did not compete.

Harvard tied Columbia for second place in the Ivy League this year, its highest finish in ten years. Coach Marion expects all the members of the Crimson team to place in the finals and feels that at least two should make All-American. Cetrulo said on Wednesday.