USA Fencing

This article, originally posted in 2022, has been updated for the 2024-25 season.

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — As USA Fencing national tournaments continue to grow, our staff and the volunteers on our Tournament Committee regularly consider ways to improve the competitive experience for our fencers.

The latest example applies to Division I fencers in men’s foil and epee events.

In the 2024-25 season, Division I men’s foil and epee events will use a two-pool format if an event has 203 fencers or more. The cutoff for use of this format will be 203 fencers or more registered at the time of regular fees for all North American Cup events

Here’s how it works:

• If a Division I men’s foil or epee event has 203 fencers or more:

  • The event will be a one-day event with two rounds of pools

  • The top 34 fencers will receive a bye into the second round of pools. Byes will be awarded based on the USA Fencing National Rolling Points Standings, as of the regular seeding deadline (10 days before the start of the tournament)

  • The top 75% of all fencers will be promoted from the first round of pools to a direct elimination tableau. 

  • That first direct elimination tableau will be fenced to 64.

  • Those 64 fencers will join the 34 fencers who had byes and compete in a second round of pools.

  • The top 75 fencers in the second round of pools will be promoted to the final direct elimination rounds (DEs).

  • That final direct elimination tableau will be fenced to a gold medal.

• If a Division I men’s foil or epee event has 202 fencers or fewer:

  • The event will be a one-day event with one round of pools

  • The top 75% of all fencers will be promoted from pools to the direct elimination rounds (DEs)

For the October 2022 NAC, for example, as shared in the check-in times chart, both the Division I men’s foil and Division I men’s epee events met the requirements for a two-pool format. 

The top 34 athletes in those events received byes and did not need to report until 1 p.m. on their competition day. The list of athletes who qualify for byes are the top 34 fencers in the respective rankings, as of the Wednesday prior to each national tournament.

Previously this rule applied to Division I women's foil and epee events as well. This is no longer the case in the 2024-25 season.

This is due to the size of events. At their current sizes, Division I women's foil and women's epee events are still manageable with the single round of pools, and doing just one round actually lessens the operational burden placed on the referee cadre — even if numbers are a bit above the 203-fencer threshold.