STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford fencing team capped a successful season by placing 11th at the NCAA Championships hosted by Penn State.
Junior Sean Strong sparked the men by finishing seventh in epee, while freshman Madeline Liao and junior Carly Weber-Levine led the women by claiming 17th and 19th, respectively, in foil and sabre.
Strong won 14 of 23 bouts and earned second team All-American honors. It marked his third consecutive trip to the NCAA's, Strong placing 23rd in 2016 and 15th in 2017.
"Fantastic performance," said co-head coach Lisa Posthumus. "He fought hard to get to the podium."
Sophomore Robin Cheong claimed nine of 23 bouts in epee and collected 19th.
The Cardinal also received top 20 showings from junior Jeffrey Dalli, junior Royce Wang and freshman Lucas Orts. Competing for the third consecutive year, Dalli captured 14th by winning nine of 23 bouts in sabre. Dalli finished 15th in 2016 and 23rd in 2017.
Wang advanced for the first time in sabre and earned 19th by winning seven of 23 bouts.
In foil, Orts prevailed in six of 22 bouts to garner 20th.
Liao won eight of 23 bouts.
Qualifying for the third consecutive year, Weber-Levine claimed six of 23 bouts in sabre and finished at -24. She captured 11th last year and took 22nd in 20016.
Stanford fencers collected three firsts, two seconds and four third-place showings at the NCAA West Regional Individual Championships at Caltech.
Competing against Caltech, the Air Force Academy, the University of Incarnate Word and UC San Diego, Weber-Levine and Liao racked up titles. Sophomore Rose Adams placed third in sabre and sophomore Amanda Han took third in epee.
On the men's side, Wang won the sabre crown, while Cheong and Orts garnered runner-up finishes. Strong and sophomore Mitchell So (sabre) tallied thirds.
In its only home competition of the season, the Cardinal men's squad captured its third consecutive Western Conference crown Sunday by winning the Western Invitational at the Arrillaga Center for Sports and Recreation, posting a 6-0 mark against six opponents. The women placed third at 4-3.
For the men, the highlight of the season came in early February at the Northwestern Duals in South Bend, Indiana. Stanford upset the top-ranked Fighting Irish, 15-12, with junior Nicholas Campell-Kruger providing the clincher with an overtime win in epee in the final bout.
The Cardinal men's team (12-3) wound up the season ranked No. 11 nationally, while the women's team (5-11) finished No. 14.