STANFORD, Calif. - The Stanford fencing team heads south this weekend to compete in the NCAA West Regional Championships hosted by UC San Diego.
Seventeen Cardinal fencers have qualified for this round. For each of the three divisions, the top 12 fencers will advance to nationals in Columbus, Ohio, hosted by Ohio State on March 19.
“We have a number of freshmen going for their first time,” notes head coach Lisa Milgram, who is in her 16th year on The Farm. “It will be very hard this year, overall, as the field is highly competitive.”
The Cardinal will not be short in experience, however, with team captain Paul Riviere having qualified for nationals last season.
“I know that this region in particular will be challenging for men’s epee, so we need to take every victory we can get, stay focused and positive, and remain united as a squad despite the individual nature of the event,” said Riviere, a senior and native of the San Diego area.
Riviere is optimistic that the Cardinal’s relative inexperience won’t be an issue.
“The two freshmen epees, Becca Rose and Harrison MacRae, have been great additions to the squad. I am confident that if they keep it up at regionals, we will do very well as a squad.”
Sophomore Alexa Rohan feels that the biggest key for the postseason newcomers is confidence.
“Although this will be their first qualifier, our freshmen need to leave any feelings of intimidation behind and enter in a mindset that will let them fence their best,” said Rohan, who qualified for nationals in her freshman year, narrowly missing out on an All-America berth.
“This season has definitely been a grind, but I am prouder than ever to be a part of this team,” added Rohan. Rohan tallied 59 wins as a freshman.
Notable competitors for the Cardinal include Vivian Kong, who looks to defend her 2014 NCAA women’s epee individual title, and Alexander Massialas, a semifinalist from last year’s men’s foil division.