USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – More than 1,400 athletes will travel to Milwaukee, Wis. from April 17-20 to compete in the April North American Cup and Wheelchair National Championships.

Competition will begin daily at 8:30 a.m. at the Wisconsin Center and will conclude at approximately 8 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

National Championship titles will be on the line for 2016 Paralympic hopefuls in the wheelchair fencing events which also serves as one of the final qualifying events for the 2015 Wheelchair World Championships.

The field is headlined by 2012 Paralympic teammates Joey Brinson (Florence, Miss.) and four-time Paralympian Gerard Moreno (Los Angeles, Calif.) as well as 2000 Paralympian Curtis Lovejoy (College Park, Ga.)

Brinson won silver in the saber competition in 2014 while Moreno took silver in foil and both athletes are aiming to return home with gold this year. Lovejoy took bronze in the 2014 epee event. 

The women’s wheelchair events will crown a trio of first-time National Champions with none of the previous gold medalists in attendance as a group of hungry newcomers fights for their chance at the title. Watch for former NAC Champions Lauryn DeLuca (Parma, Ohio), Vikki Espinosa (Portland, Ore.) and Patricia Dykes (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) to all be in contention.

Prior to the wheelchair competition, a clinic for first-time wheelchair military fencers will be held from 1-4 p.m. on Thursday, April 16 at the Wisconsin Center. Funded by the Department of Veteran Affairs, the clinic is open to veterans, active duty military and others with physical disabilities.

The April NAC portion of the tournament will include athletes of all ages as Y10, Y12, Y14 and Division II (C rating or lower) events are all contested.

In addition to individual events, for the second time, the NAC will include team competitions for Y14 fencers in each of the six weapons.

Click here to view the complete entrants list for the April NAC and Wheelchair National Championships.

Competition schedule is as follows (All times are approximate start times, competition will run through completion of medal rounds):

Friday, April 17
8:30 a.m.
Y10 Women’s Saber
Y14 Men’s Team Saber
Y14 Women’s Foil

9 a.m.
Division II Men’s Epee

10:30 a.m.
Wheelchair Men’s Epee

1:30 p.m.
Wheelchair Women’s Epee
Y10 Men’s Saber

2 p.m.
Division II Women’s Epee

2:30 p.m.
Y14 Men’s Foil

Saturday, April 18
8:30 a.m.
Division II Men’s Foil
Y14 Women’s Epee
Y14 Women’s Team Foil
Y12 Women’s Saber

10:30 a.m.
Wheelchair Women’s Foil

1:30 p.m.
Wheelchair Men’s Foil
Division II Women’s Foil

2 p.m.
Y14 Men’s Epee

2:30 p.m.
Y12 Men’s Saber

Sunday, April 19
8:30 a.m.
Y10 Men’s Epee
Y12 Men’s Foil
Division II Men’s Saber
Y10 Women’s Epee
Y14 Women’s Team Saber

10:30 a.m.
Wheelchair Men’s Saber

1 p.m.
Y14 Men’s Team Epee

1:30 p.m.
Y12 Women’s Foil
Wheelchair Women’s Saber

2 p.m.
Division II Women’s Saber

2:30 p.m.
Y14 Women’s Team Epee

Monday, April 20
8:30 a.m.
Y12 Men’s Epee
Y10 Men’s Foil
Y10 Women’s Foil
Y14 Women’s Saber

11:30 a.m.
Y14 Men’s Team Foil

12:30 p.m.
Y14 Men’s Saber
Y12 Women’s Epee