COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sophomore Vivian Kong and senior Francesca Bassa are in a good position following the first day of competition at the NCAA Fencing Championships in Columbus, Ohio.
Kong leads the women’s epee through the first three of five rounds. She won 13 of her 15 bouts to lead all competitors in the 24-person field. She had one more win than Princeton’s Susannah Scanlan and Penn State’s Jessie Radanovich. He also led in fewest touches allowed with 43.
Bassa sits right behind the top three after winning 11 of her 15 bouts on the first day. The top four after five rounds will make the semifinals and have a chance to fence for the national championship. Bassa has one more victory than Alina Ferdman of St. John’s, who is currently fifth overall. Bassa had the third best discrepancy in touches and touches allowed with a +17.
Freshman Alexa Rohan made her championships debut on Thursday in women’s sabre. Rohan won five bouts on the day and is currently in 19th place among the 24 in the field. The leader is Adrienne Jarocki of Harvard, who won 13 of her 15 matches.
The women’s competition will wrap up on Friday. The fourth and fifth rounds of fencing will take place to start the day with the semifinals and championship bout to follow. The men’s competition will take place on Saturday and Sunday.