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2023 Summer Nationals Preview: World’s Largest Fencing Tournament to Bring 5,000 Fencers to Phoenix

06/22/2023, 7:15am CDT
By Bryan Wendell

From June 30 to July 9, more than 5,300 fencers from 43 different states — ages 7 to 85 — will gather inside the Phoenix Convention Center for the 2023 USA Fencing National Championships and July Challenge.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — From 7-year-olds attending their first national tournament to a fencer from San Diego still lunging for medals at age 85, there’s nothing quite like the Summer Nationals fencing tournament.

The anticipation has been building all season long for the 2023 edition of USA Fencing’s season-ending tournament, which will welcome more than 5,300 of the country's top fencers to the Phoenix Convention Center from June 30 to July 9.

This signature tournament features nearly nonstop fencing action, with 96 events (and 96 medal ceremonies) taking place over 10 days. Medals — and national championships — will be on the line in every USA Fencing classification, from the youngest (Y10) to the most seasoned veterans (Vet 80) and everyone in between. 

Officially known as the 2023 USA Fencing National Championships and July Challenge, most in the fencing community refer to this beloved tournament simply as Summer Nationals.

And this year's Summer Nationals is projected to be among the largest in USA Fencing history. After more than 4,500 athletes competed at the 2022 Summer Nationals in Minneapolis, this year’s edition is 18% larger. The competition in Phoenix welcomes 5,369 athletes from 43 different states, plus the District of Columbia. 

While the 2018 Summer Nationals in Columbus, Ohio, had more individual fencers attend (5,391), this year's tournament has more total registrations, meaning the competition itself is larger.

Such a large number of competitors means Summer Nationals isn't just the largest USA Fencing tournament of the year. It's also considered to be the largest fencing tournament in the world this year. 

The tournament features 96 events (84 individual and 12 team). Of those 96, 66 are for national titles, with competition ranging from the tournament’s youngest competitors (Y10) to its most seasoned veterans (Vet-80).

The winners of these categories will be crowned as national champions in Phoenix:

  • Y10

  • Y12

  • Y14

  • Division IA

  • Division II

  • Division III

  • Veteran Age

  • Veteran Team

As for the other categories, they had their national championships earlier in the season, meaning their competition in Phoenix is part of the July Challenge portion of the tournament. The Division I national championship was held in April in St. Louis. Juniors and Cadets battled for national championships earlier this year at the Junior Olympics in February in Denver.

Beyond the Strip

Alongside the competitions, the fun of Summer Nationals continues to expand beyond the action on the strip. 

This year, USA Fencing is presenting its biggest lineup yet of presentations and educational sessions. These include clinics and informational sessions led by an impressive lineup of presenters, plus a two-day College Conversations event covering a variety of topics from the benefits of fencing in college to an overview of the recruiting process, culminating in a Collegiate Fair with 15 schools in attendance.

We’re also excited to honor eight legends of fencing at our Class of 2023 Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony. 

And anyone who wishes to meet with members of the USA Fencing staff (including CEO Phil Andrews) or our Board of Directors is encouraged to attend the All-Member Town Hall (4 to 5 p.m. July 1, Room 126BC) or Membership Meeting (4 to 5 p.m. July 4, Room 126BC).

Visitors Welcome!

Dates: June 30–July 9, 2023

Schedule: See the daily schedule below. Fencing takes place all 10 days of the tournament from 8 a.m. until the last touch in each day's final gold medal bout. 

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, Halls 1-6

Tickets: Not required

2022 Summer Nationals: A Look Back

Here’s who won the titles at last year’s Summer Nationals in Minneapolis. See the results on Fencing Time here.

Division IA

  • Women's Epee: Alexandra M. Drovetsky (Medeo Fencing Club)
  • Men's Epee: Owen Jin (Cavalier Fencing Club)
  • Women's Foil: Ishani S. Sood (California Fencing Academy)
  • Men's Foil: Ethan I. Gassner (Golden State Fencing Academy)
  • Women's Saber: Victoria M. Gorman (Zeta Fencing)
  • Men's Saber: Leonid Kotov (Phoenix Fencing Academy)

Division II

  • Women's Epee: Charlotte Canning (Rhode Island Fencing Academy and Club)
  • Men's Epee: Tyler Lowe-Thorpe (Golden Gate Fencing Center)
  • Women's Foil: Anice Orvananos (Fencers Club Inc.)
  • Men's Foil: Matthew Li (AIC Fencing Club)
  • Women's Saber: Nitika Subramanian (Manhattan Fencing Center)
  • Men's Saber: Zachary Tong (Nellya Fencers)

Division III

  • Women's Epee: Grace Hicks (New York Fencing Academy)
  • Men's Epee: Daniel Chirashnya (Academy of Fencing Masters (AFM))
  • Women's Foil: Yukari Takamizawa (Golden State Fencing Academy)
  • Men's Foil: Jackson Kim (Metro Tacoma Fencing Club)
  • Women's Saber: Siwen Liao (Miracle Fencing Club / Nazlymov Fencing Foundation)
  • Men's Saber: Steven Hong (Sigma Fencing Academy)

Y-14

  • Women's Epee: Jolie Korfonta (Penta Olympic Fencing Club)
  • Men's Epee: Seungwon (Stewart) Lee (Alliance Fencing Academy)
  • Women's Foil: Adeline Senic (Renaissance Fencing Club)
  • Men's Foil: Luao Yang (Renaissance Fencing Club)
  • Women's Saber: Sophia I. Schiminovich (Oregon Fencing Alliance)
  • Men's Saber: Nazir Primus (Peter Westbrook Foundation / Fencers Club Inc.)

Y-12

  • Women's Epee: National Champion: Regina Lee (Swords Fencing Studio)
  • Men's Epee: Christopher Davoodian (Swords Fencing Studio)
  • Women's Foil: Sara Amr Hossny (South Brooklyn Fencing)
  • Men's Foil: Luca Nicoletti (Silicon Valley Fencing Center)
  • Women's Saber: Xuanyi Zhang (LA Fencing Academy of Pomona)
  • Men's Saber: Devyn V. Anthony (Cobra Fencing Club LLC / Peter Westbrook Foundation)

Y-10

  • Women's Epee: Navya Neelam (Elite Fencing Academy (GA) / Elite Fencing Academy (VA))
  • Men's Epee: Sangwook Park (LE CLUB TOUCHE)
  • Women's Foil: Chloe Sun (Orange County Fencing Center)
  • Men's Foil: Francesco Fedeli (Epic Fencing Club / SCAD- Atlanta Fencing)
  • Women's Saber: Zitong (Meya) Lei (Laguna Fencing Center)
  • Men's Saber: Tino Tani (Southern California Fencing Academy (SOCALFA) / West Coast Fencing Academy)

Vet-40

  • Women's Epee: Nicole P. Polanichka (Lancaster Fencing Academy / Williamsport Fencing Club)
  • Men's Epee: Noah L. Zucker (Cobra Fencing Club LLC)
  • Women's Foil: Inga Cho (Renaissance Fencing Club)
  • Men's Foil: Nathan T. Anderson (Denver Fencing Center)
  • Women's Saber: Yelena Kalkina (Oregon Fencing Alliance)
  • Men's Saber: Ivan J. Lee (Long Island University/Long Island Fencing Center)

Vet-50

  • Women's Epee: Sharrie A. Zafft (Marx Fencing Academy)
  • Men's Epee: Mehmet Tepedelenlioglu (East Bay Fencers Gym)
  • Women's Foil: Jane P. Carter (Marx Fencing Academy / Tanner City Fencers Club)
  • Men's Foil: Rafael A. Suarez (Masters Fencing Club)
  • Women's Saber: Julie T. Seal (Valkyrie Fencing Club)
  • Men's Saber: William L. Becker

Vet-60

  • Women's Epee: Cynthia E. Glover (Rain City Fencing Center)
  • Men's Epee: Rick Watrall (New York Athletic Club)
  • Women's Foil: Jennette Starks-Faulkner (Connecticut Fencers Club)
  • Men's Foil: Paul Epply-Schmidt (Bucks County Academy Of Fencing / Sebastiani Fencing Academy)
  • Women's Saber: Robin J. Pernice (Dynamo Fencing Center Inc.)
  • Men's Saber: Joshua Runyan (Spartak)

Vet-70

  • Women's Epee: Elizabeth (Liz) R. Kocab (Plymouth/Ann Arbor Fencing Academy)
  • Men's Epee: Jere P. Bothelio (Academy of Fencing Masters (AFM) / Fortune Fencing)
  • Women's Foil: Judith (Jude) A. Offerle (RedStar Fencing Club Chicago / University of Notre Dame)
  • Men's Foil: Daniel (Dan) W. Mccarthy (The Phoenix Center)
  • Women's Saber: Linda J. J. Dunn (IndySabre / Indianapolis Fencing Club)
  • Men's Saber: Joseph S. Streb (Royal Arts Fencing Academy)

Vet-80

  • Women's Epee: Bettie J. Graham (Chevy Chase Fencing Club)
  • Men's Epee: James (Jim) H. Adams (DC Fencers Club)
  • Women's Foil: Bettie J. Graham (Chevy Chase Fencing Club)
  • Men's Foil: Davis W. Carvey (Rain City Fencing Center / Salle Auriol Seattle)
  • Women's Saber: Not contested
  • Men's Saber: Victor (Vic) E. Bianchini (Spartak / Golden Sabre Academy)

Tag(s): Updates  2023 Summer Nationals