During the two-year trial, USA Fencing maintains two systems side by side. Understanding what each one does, and doesn't do, answers most of the questions we hear.
This is the new one. It took effect Aug. 1, 2026, for the Cadet, Junior and Senior categories, and it runs for a two-year trial.
Each age category has one list. Your total is the sum of your six best results, from any sanctioned event, local through international.
The Unified list is used for:
- Domestic rankings within Cadet, Junior and Senior
- Tournament seeding
- Eligibility to register for national tournaments
- Placement in the Elite or Challenger field at NACs
The Unified list is not used for:
- Domestic rankings within Youth, Para or Veteran
- World Team selection for any age category
- Rolling Points Standings used to select fencers for designated international events
- Team Points Standings
This is the system you already know, and it isn't going anywhere. There are two Legacy lists: the Rolling Points Standings (formerly the National Rolling Point Standings, or NRPS) and the Team Points Standings.
Through at least the 2028-29 season, the Legacy lists remain the system of record for international travel squads and national team selection. They're calculated using the same criteria and tables as before, as listed in the selection criteria for each weapon in the Athlete Handbook. Both systems are published side by side for the full trial, so members, coaches and college coaches can always see which list governs what.
Cadet. As of Aug. 1, 2026, Cadets are fencers born between 2010 and 2013. After the February NAC, that range shifts to 2011 through 2014.
Junior. As of Aug. 1, 2026, Juniors are fencers born between 2007 and 2013. After the February NAC, that range shifts to 2008 through 2014.
Senior. Senior events are open to fencers born in 2013 or earlier for the entire 2026-27 season. Senior events include SNR, DV1, DV1A, DV2, DV3, ADT and ADC. Division I (DV1) is the Senior-level event at NACs and is sanctioned only at the national level. Adult (ADT) and Adult Combined (ADC) are sanctioned only at the regional and local level.
Only designated international events earn points. Veteran, Para and Youth are not part of the trial. Their events, points and team selection are unchanged.
One list, six results. Your total is the sum of your six best individual results, from any sanctioned USA Fencing tournament at any level: local, regional, national or designated international.
Rolling updates. A result stays on your list until it's replaced by the equivalent event the following season. Your October 2026 NAC result is replaced by your October 2027 NAC result. If there's no equivalent event, the result stays for up to 12 months, or until you age out of the category. Points are normally updated within five business days after each national or international event.
Trickle-down counts. A result from a higher category can count toward your six best in a lower one. Scaling applies as results move down: one level at 100%, two levels at 80%. So a Senior result counts at 100% on a Junior's list and at 80% on a Cadet's list. A Junior result counts at 100% on a Cadet's list.
No starting from scratch. Fencers competing at the national level transitioned into the new system without losing the ability to compete at that level. Your 2025-26 national results carried over to set your starting position for this season. Local points from 2025-26 were not mapped over.
The structure organizes competition into five tiers, with points scaled to the level of competition: International, Elite, Challenger, Regional and Local. Junior and Cadet fencers also have SJCC events, which sit between Challenger and Regional in value.
Points for a win, by tier:
- International: 4,000 Senior, 3,200 Junior, 2,400 Cadet
- Elite: 1,000 Senior, 800 Junior, 600 Cadet
- Challenger: 200 Senior, 160 Junior, 120 Cadet
- SJCC: 120 Junior, 90 Cadet
- Regional: 100 Senior, 80 Junior, 60 Cadet
- Local: 50 Senior, 40 Junior, 30 Cadet as the standard value, scaling from 25 to 75 by event strength
- Your ranking is the sum of your six best results, on a one-year rolling basis.
- Junior values are 80% of the Senior values. Cadet values are 60%.
- Local values shown are the standard values. Actual local values scale with event strength.
- Divisional events use the same values as local events.
- At the local level only, mixed events are awarded as if they had been single gender. Mixed events are not sanctioned at the regional or national level for Cadet, Junior or Senior.
The full round-by-round tables for every age category are in the appendix of the 2026-27 Athlete Handbook.
Every local event is assigned an event rating using the same grouping chart that already determines ratings, so this isn't a new system to learn. That grouping also sets the multiplier that determines point values: a maximum of 75 points for a win at the strongest local events and a minimum of 25 at the smallest. Strength scaling applies only at the local level. Values at the Regional, Challenger, Elite and International tiers are fixed for the two-year trial.
Junior and Cadet fencers can now earn points at regional events anywhere in the country, not only in their home region. Fencers competing in Div. IA, Div. II, Div. III, ADL and ADC could already do this, so this brings Junior and Cadet in line.
To protect access for the fencers who live in each region, RJCC and ROC tournaments open with a three-week in-region protection window. During those three weeks, only fencers affiliated with that region can register. When the window closes, registration opens to every eligible fencer for the remaining spots. Fencers traveling from another region earn both points and ratings, the same as anyone else in the field.
Senior events outside Division I are pointed as a percentage of the Senior tables.
- At regional (ROC) events: Div. IA earns 100% of the Senior regional value, Div. II earns 40% of the Div. IA value (max 40 for a win) and Div. III earns 20% (max 20 for a win).
- At national events: Div. IA earns 60% of the Challenger tier (max 120 for a win) at National Championships only. Div. II earns 40% (max 80) at National Championships and NACs. Div. III earns 20% (max 40) at National Championships only.
- Adult (ADT) and Adult Combined (ADC) are pointed at the Div. II value at regional and local events. Neither is sanctioned at the national level.
