USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – The North American Cup season will both begin for some of Team USA’s fencers and end for others at the December North American Cup in Milwaukee, Wis. this weekend.

Competition will be held from Friday through Monday at the Delta Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave., in Halls A-D.

More than 2,000 athletes are scheduled to compete in Division I, Division II, Veteran and Wheelchair events in each of the three weapons: epee, foil and saber.

The event will be the final NAC of the season for Division I fencers and is a key qualifying tournament for the 2013 Senior World Championships.

The Division I field will feature 12 Olympians, including men’s epee fencers Seth Kelsey (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Soren Thompson (San Diego, Calif.) who will each be competing for the first time since the London Games where Kelsey placed fourth and Thompson finished 19^th. Both athletes also were on the U.S. team that won World Championship gold in April.

Other members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team that will fence that weekend include:

• Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas), 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in women’s team epee
• Kelley Hurley (San Antonio, Texas), 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in women’s team epee
• Susie Scanlan (St. Paul, Minn.), 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in women’s team epee
• Maya Lawrence (Teaneck, N.J.), 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in women’s team epee
• Gerek Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif.), 2012 Olympic fourth-place finisher in men’s team foil and 2010 Senior World medalist
• Race Imboden (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 2012 Olympic fourth-place finisher in men’s team foil
• Miles Chamley-Watson (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2012 Olympic fourth-place finisher in men’s team foil
• Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 2012 Olympic sixth-place finisher in women’s team foil
• Nicole Ross (New York City, N.Y.), 2012 Olympic sixth-place finisher in women’s team foil
• Jeff Spear (Wynantskill, N.Y.), 2012 Olympic eighth-place finisher in men’s team saber

Two-time Senior World bronze medalists Daria Schneider (New York City, N.Y.) and Ibtihaj Muhammad (Maplewood, N.J.) will both be fencing in the Division I women’s saber competition. Schneider won the first two NACs of the season while Muhammad will be fencing for the first time since the Korfanty World Cup in June.

In the wheelchair event, London Paralympians Ryan Estep (Florence, Miss.) and Catherine Bouwkamp (Fishers, Ind.) will each fence for the first time since the London Games.

The December NAC also marks the start of the domestic season for veteran fencers and nearly all of the team members from the 2012 Veteran World Championships are scheduled to compete in Milwaukee.

Among the veteran fencers competing this weekend are the following medalists from the 2012 Veteran World Championships:

• Will Milne (Redwood City, Calif.), 2012 Veteran World Champion in men’s 50-59 saber
• Ellen O’Leary (Decatur, Ga.), 2012 Veteran World Champion in women’s +70 saber
• Chaz Smith (Diamond Springs, Calif.), 2012 Veteran World silver medalist in women’s 50-59 saber
• Linda Dunn (Indianapolis, Ind.), 2012 Veteran World silver medalist in women’s 60-69 saber
• Joseph Streb (Columbus, Ohio), 2012 Veteran World silver medalist in men’s 60-69 saber
• Anne-Marie Walters (Parkland, Fla.), 2012 Veteran World silver medalist in women’s 50-59 foil
• Judith Offerle (Winnetka, Ill.), 2012 Veteran World silver medalist in women’s 60-69 foil
• David Seuss (Charlestown, Mass.), 2012 Veteran World bronze medalist in men’s 60-69 saber
• Wang Yung (Bellevue, Wash.), 2012 Veteran World bronze medalist in men’s 60-69 saber
• Delia Turner (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2012 Veteran World bronze medalist in women’s 60-69 saber
• Patricia Bedrosian (Malibu, Calif.), 2012 Veteran World bronze medalist in women’s +70 epee
• Valerie Asher (Bethesda, Md.), 2012 Veteran World bronze medalist in women’s 50-59 epee
• Elizabeth Kocab (Farmington Hills, Mich.), 2012 Veteran World bronze medalist in women’s 60-69 epee
• Jim Adams (Rockville, Md.), 2012 Veteran World bronze medalist in men’s +70 foil

Live results will be posted throughout the weekend at www.usfencingresults.com.

The complete competition schedule is as follows (note: times are approximate start times, NOT check-in times):

Friday, December 7
8:30 a.m.
Division I Men’s Foil
Veteran Open Men’s Epee
Veteran 40-49 Men’s Saber
Veteran 50-59 Women’s Saber
Veteran 60-69 Women’s Saber
Veteran +70 Women’s Saber

9:30 a.m.
Wheelchair Men’s Epee

Noon
Veteran 50-59 Men’s Saber
Veteran 60-69 Men’s Saber
Veteran +70 Men’s Saber

1 p.m.
Division II Women’s Epee
Veteran Open Women’s Foil

1:30 p.m.
Wheelchair Women’s Epee

Saturday, December 8
8:30 a.m.
Division I Men’s Epee
Division I Women’s Saber
Veteran +70 Women’s Epee
Division I Women’s Saber

9:30 a.m.
Wheelchair Men’s Foil

10 a.m.
Division II Women’s Foil

11 a.m.
Veteran 40-49 Women’s Epee
Veteran 50-59 Women’s Epee

12:30 p.m.
Division II Men’s Foil

1:30 p.m.
Wheelchair Women’s Foil
Veteran Open Men’s Saber

2:30 p.m.
Veteran 60-69 Women’s Epee

Sunday, December 9
8:30 a.m.
Division I Women’s Epee
Veteran +70 Men’s Epee
Veteran 40-49 Women’s Foil
Veteran +70 Women’s Foil
Veteran Open Men’s Foil
Division II Men’s Saber

9:30 a.m.
Wheelchair Men’s Saber

Noon
Veteran 40-49 Men’s Epee
Veteran 50-59 Women’s Foil

1:30 p.m.
Veteran 60-69 Men’s Epee
Veteran 60-69 Women’s Foil
Veteran Open Women’s Saber
Veteran 50-59 Men’s Epee

Monday, December 10
8:30 a.m.
Division I Women’s Foil
Division I Men’s Saber
Veteran Women’s Epee
Veteran 50-59 Men’s Foil
Veteran +70 Men’s Foil

10:30 a.m.
Veteran 60-69 Men’s Foil

12:30 p.m.
Veteran 40-49 Men’s Foil

1:30 p.m.
Division II Women’s Saber