Fencers Earn Championship Berths

Five members of the Harvard fencing team have new plans for spring break.

Freshmen David Jakus, Julian Rose, Tim Hagamen, Anne Austin and Chloe Stinetorf all qualified for the NCAA fencing championships, to be held in Colorado Springs from March 20-23.

The location and host, the Air Force Academy, were announced on Saturday.

Jakus, Rose, Austin and Stinetorf all qualified with top performances in the NCAA Northeast Regional at NYU on Sunday.

Based on his No. 3 ranking on the U.S. senior national team and his performance at recent international events, Hagamen had already qualified for the NCAA championship and did not compete at NYU last weekend. Instead, Hagamen spent the weekend at an international tournament in Athens, Greece, where he placed in the top 64.

“I don’t have any expectations going into NCAAs,” Hagamen said. “It’s a pretty unique and exhausting tournament with a lot of bouts in a very short period of time.”

Austin and Stinetorf both qualified in the women’s foil with top-four finishes.

“After I knew we’d qualified, it didn’t really matter where we finished,” Stinetorf said. “The important thing is we’re going to nationals.”

It was the second time in as many weeks that Austin and Stinetorf have faced each other in competition. A week ago at the IFA championships, the pair met in the semifinals, where Austin prevailed 15-8.

“I am really excited to be going,” Austin said. “It is going to be a lot different than what I’m used to. I’m just hoping to make All-American.”

On Sunday, Stinetorf reversed the tables, defeating Austin. With only three women’s foil fencers at Harvard, Austin and Stinetorf face each other in practice on an almost daily basis. The Crimson’s other foil fencer, co-captain Liz Blase, placed 11th in the 39-person field.

A maximum of two people per school can qualify for the NCAA championship in each weapon, although Blase would have been on the bubble even if she had been eligible as one of Harvard’s top two female foil fencers.

Junior Eunice Yi placed 11th in the women’s saber. Yi will have to wait until the entire NCAA field is announced on Thursday to see if she qualified. The top 24 fencers in the nation in each weapon receive invitations.

Selection for the NCAA championship is based on a fencer’s finish at the regionals as well as their record throughout the year.

Yi will be helped by her bronze medal finish a week ago at the IFA championships.

—Staff writer Timothy Jackson can be reached at jackson2@fas.harvard.edu.