STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford fencing team finished 12th at the national championships, when only months before there didn't appear to be a 2022 season at all.
That is the miracle of the Cardinal program, which sent six fencers to the NCAA's – one more than even competed for Stanford in a confusing COVID 2021 season that was scheduled to be the last, because of budget cuts, for a longstanding program.
Sophomores Donghwan Park and Haley Koo were among the repeat fencers from the 2021 team and continued to excel in a much stronger year for collegiate fencing as a whole. Park earned his second All-America honor and Koo was captured conference and regional titles.
Lucas Orts, a three-time regional champion, provided direction for the men's team and Madeline Liao, another three-time regional champion, also concluded a decorated collegiate career.
Stanford's future, with Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Newcomer of the Year Draper Dayton, among a group of outstanding young fencers, looks bright indeed.
* * *
Team
12th at NCAA Championships.
Six NCAA qualifiers.
Two NCAA West Region champions.
Top MPSF placing team at NCAA Championships.
* * *
Men
Robin Cheong
All-West Region honorable mention (epee).
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Draper Dayton
20th in foil at NCAA Championships.
All-West Region honorable mention.
MPSF Men's Newcomer of the Year.
Ari Glenn
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Joshua Kang
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Eugene Ko
All-West Region honorable mention (saber).
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Neo Kounalakis
All-West Region honorable mention (saber).
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Aidan Kung
24th in epee at NCAA Championships.
All-West Region first team.
NCAA West Region epee runner-up.
All-MPSF second team.
MPSF epee finalist.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Noah Matricciani
20th in saber at NCAA Championships.
All-West Region second team.
All-MPSF second team.
MPSF saber finalist.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Jaime Leo Mizrachi
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Lucas Orts
18th in foil at NCAA Championships.
NCAA West Regional foil champion.
All-West Region first team.
MPSF foil champion.
All-MPSF first team.
Phi Beta Kappa
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Charles Pan
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Donghwan Park
Honorable mention All-American.
12th in saber at NCAA Championships.
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Kai Rayle
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Kevin Tu
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Calvin Zau
MPSF All-Academic.
* * *
Women
Charlotte He
All-West Region second team (saber).
All-MPSF second team.
MPSF saber finalist.
Kathy Hu
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Sharon Huang
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Liana Keesing
Truman Scholar.
Haley Koo
Elite 90 Award winner.
18th in foil at NCAA Championships.
MPSF Women's Fencer of the Year.
NCAA West Regional foil champion.
All-West Region first team.
MPSF foil champion.
All-MPSF first team.
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF Women's Fencer of the Week (Feb. 8).
Woo Joo Kwon
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Hanna Lee
All-West Region second team (epee).
All-MPSF second team.
MPSF epee finalist.
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Madeline Liao
All-West Region honorable mention (foil).
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Sofia Raso
All-West Region second team (foil).
All-MPSF second team.
Sophia Sanchez
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Irene Yeu
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Joy Yun
All-West Region honorable mention (saber).
MPSF All-Academic.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF Women's Fencer of the Week (Nov. 16, 2021).
Caroline Wang
MPSF All-Academic.