Predicting the 2015 NCAA Fencing Championships (March Stabness)

Click here to read Damien, Hannah, James, Leland, and Monika’s Predictions

Note: WordPress won’t let me change the numbering. There is no such thing as 4th place, so assume that 4th = tied for third. 

EDIT: Zuikova is at SJU, NOT Wayne State.

Men’s Epee

1. Lewis Weiss (OSU)
2. Marc-Antoine Blais (OSU)
3. Jake Raynis (Princeton)
4. Jake Hoyle (Columbia)

Dark Horses: Cooper Schumacher, Jonathan Jacavino

Shockingly, 2014 NCAA Men’s Epee Champion Yevgeniy Karyuchenko went out of the second round of regionals, leaving the 2015 field wide open for a new champion. I suspect OSU’s internationally experienced duo of Weiss and Blais will square off in the finals. Jacavino’s prowess at five touch bouts and excellent defense make him my dark horse for the top four.

Men’s Foil

1. Alex Massialas (Stanford)
2. Nobuo Bravo (PSU)
3. John Vaiani (Penn)
4. Ariel DeSmet (Notre Dame)

Dark Horses: Thomas Dudey, Jerry Chang

Massialas is head and shoulders above the competition here and should have little trouble bringing in his second individual title. Expect Nobuo Bravo, coming off an excellent NAC season to have a dominant round robin. Freshman John Vaiani will sneak into the top four, along with former NCAA champion Ariel DeSmet.

Men’s Saber

1. Eli Dershwitz (Harvard)
2. Roman Sydorenko (SJU)
3. Andrew Maciewicz (PSU)
4. Jonah Shainberg (Notre Dame)

Dark Horses: Jonathan Fitzgerald, Ferenc Valkai

The men’s saber field is arguably the strongest event in this championship. It’s hard not to pick Dershwitz to take it all as a freshman (despite a 7^th place finish at regionals), as he is has become one of the elite saber fencers in the US. The saber field includes 2014 Champion Kaito “Mean” Streets, 2014 All-Americans Roman  “Wasn’t Built in a Day” Sydorenko, Ferenc Valkai, Shaul Gordon, and Peter “Six” Pak, as well as newcomers Jonah Shainberg, Andrew Maciewicz, and Eli Dershwitz. Expect the youth to rise to the top here in this tough field.

Women’s Epee

1. Anna Van Brummen (Princeton)
2. Jessie Radanovich (Penn State)
3. Isabel Ford (Princeton)
4. Ashley Severson (Notre Dame)

Dark Horses: Safa Ibrahim, Sarah Collins

Fun fact: there has been no NCAA Men’s or Women’s individual champion that uses a French grip since 1993, though I suspect Van Brummen will buck that trend. Radanovich is a killer at five touch bouts, and I had no hesitation putting her in my top four last year, and the same applies today. Isabel Ford’s unorthodox, tricky style will confuse her opponents all weekend.

Women’s Foil

1. Lee Kiefer (Notre Dame)
2. Jackie Dubrovich (Columbia)
3. Alanna Goldie (OSU)
4. Margaret Lu (Columbia)

By far the toughest Women’s field, the foil crop includes 2x champ Lee Kiefer, 2x first team all Americans Maddie “Ice” Zeiss, and Jackie Dubrovich. The OSU Canadian duo of Eleanor Harvey and Alanna Goldie are going to present challenges for the status quo All-Americans. Expect a great and competitive Women’s Foil Event.

Women’s Sabre

1. Adrienne Jarocki (Harvard)
2. Francesca Russo (Notre Dame)
3. Aliya Itkowitz (Harvard)
4. Teodara Kakhiani (Penn State)

Another tough field with 2014 Champion Adrienne Jarocki (and her teammate first team All-American Aliya Itkowitz), and newcomer Francesca Russo. I don’t really know what I’m talking about with Women’s Saber, so I’m just going to make some shots in the dark and hope I’m right.

Overall Team Champions: Columbia