FENCING: Three earn bids to go to Nationals
by Andrew Ng
Staff writer
Sports | 3/10/09
Posted online at 2:41 AM EST on 3/10/09
Friedman will be returning to the NCAA National Championships for the fourth consecutive year after earning the ninth and final bid to compete. Last season, Friedman finished seventh in the foil division.
"It's very unusual that a Division III fencer qualifies for NCAA Nationals four consecutive years," Shipman said. "It's an accomplishment in and of itself."
Friedman's bid to the NCAA Championships was secured by victories against Columbia University juniors Kurt Getz and Issac Kim in the final round. Friedman defeated last year's NCAA Championships third-place finisher Getz for the first time in his career, winning 5-4. He also won 5-0 against Kim, whom he had lost to last week in the International Fencing Association Championships held at Brandeis and in an earlier round of pool play last Sunday.
"My performance varied on the day, but I was very patient and tried to figure out my opponents a lot more than simply reacting," Friedman said. "I knew that if I made it to the final round, I would wind up fencing 21 bouts on the day, so I kept in mind that if I won or lost one bout, it would have no effect on the next bout."
After almost reaching the NCAA National Championships last season, Hanley entered the regional competition determined to secure her first bid to the NCAA Championships despite her challenging first pool of competitors, including a former teammate and personal rival of hers at Sacred Heart University, from which Hanley transferred this season.
"I started off the day very discouraged because I was competing against [Sacred Heart junior] Krista Bacci; I had [Massachusetts Institute of Technology rookie] Robin Shin, who I had lost to in the last two meets; I also competed against [Columbia University sophomore] Jackie Jacobson, whose two older sisters [Emily and Sada] both competed in the Olympics," Hanley said.
Realizing that she needed to win three bouts to advance to the semifinals, Hanley tried to shake her initial nerves but fell to Bacci 5-1. However, Hanley regained her composure and defeated Shin 5-1 and Jacobson 5-3.
"It's very unusual that a Division III fencer qualifies for NCAA Nationals four consecutive years," Shipman said. "It's an accomplishment in and of itself."
Friedman's bid to the NCAA Championships was secured by victories against Columbia University juniors Kurt Getz and Issac Kim in the final round. Friedman defeated last year's NCAA Championships third-place finisher Getz for the first time in his career, winning 5-4. He also won 5-0 against Kim, whom he had lost to last week in the International Fencing Association Championships held at Brandeis and in an earlier round of pool play last Sunday.
"My performance varied on the day, but I was very patient and tried to figure out my opponents a lot more than simply reacting," Friedman said. "I knew that if I made it to the final round, I would wind up fencing 21 bouts on the day, so I kept in mind that if I won or lost one bout, it would have no effect on the next bout."
After almost reaching the NCAA National Championships last season, Hanley entered the regional competition determined to secure her first bid to the NCAA Championships despite her challenging first pool of competitors, including a former teammate and personal rival of hers at Sacred Heart University, from which Hanley transferred this season.
"I started off the day very discouraged because I was competing against [Sacred Heart junior] Krista Bacci; I had [Massachusetts Institute of Technology rookie] Robin Shin, who I had lost to in the last two meets; I also competed against [Columbia University sophomore] Jackie Jacobson, whose two older sisters [Emily and Sada] both competed in the Olympics," Hanley said.
Realizing that she needed to win three bouts to advance to the semifinals, Hanley tried to shake her initial nerves but fell to Bacci 5-1. However, Hanley regained her composure and defeated Shin 5-1 and Jacobson 5-3.
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