The fencing team tied its 2002 record by sending three qualifiers to the NCAA Championships to compete last Wednesday through Saturday. Adam Pantel '10, in men's foil, led the trio qualifying in sixth-place, followed by Randi Alevi '10, in women's saber, qualifying in eighth-place. Finally, Adam Yarnell '10 qualified as the only at-large fencer from Brown in men's epee. The three of them traveled to Columbus, Ohio, and competed in the NCAA Tournament at host school Ohio State University. In the women's events, which took place on Wednesday and Thursday, Alevi placed 14th out of 24 fencers, matching her record from last year. In the men's events on Saturday and Sunday, Pantel placed 17th in foil and Yarnell placed 20th in epee, which, combined with Alevi's result, put Brown in 20th place out of 27 teams.
The championship selections are based on a 60-40 ratio of regular season and Regional results. Pantel had a 65-20 record, which helped him qualify for the tournament for the first time.
"I worked hard to get there," Pantel said. "I thought I was competitive there and was happy with how the tournament went."
Pantel went 5-9 on Friday, including an upset victory over the sixth-place fencer in foil, Duke's Dorian Cohen, 5-3. He won four more matches on the second day, ending his first NCAA tournament with a 9-15 record. Pantel thought it was "a great experience for him (to compete at) the great level of competition (there)."
For Yarnell, who qualified for epee, it was also his first time competing at the championships.
"Qualifying (for NCAA) was a big deal for me," said Yarnell. "My goal was to be a competitor."
Like Pantel, Yarnell also went 5-9 the first day. He upset two higher-placed opponents with one-point victories, first defeating fifth-seeded fencer Peter French of Air Force 4-3, then winning against seventh-seeded Tommi Hurme of Princeton, 5-4. The next day, he captured three more victories, which put him in 20th place with an 8-16 mark.
Yarnell was happy with his performance. While there were moments when things could have gone the other way, he thought that there were more times when he made the matches go in his favor.
"I think having the right sports mentality really helped me this season," Yarnell said.
On the women's side, Alevi was the only qualifier. In the sabre, Alevi split 7-7 the first day, then went 3-6 the following day, which placed her in 14th place out of 24 fencers in her event. The combined result of the three Bears put Brown at 20th place, four spots below their 2002 finish.
For Pantel and Yarnell, the NCAA championships were an exciting experience and they both want to go back next year.
"I want to qualify again next year and hopefully do better," Yarnell said.
