USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Nearly 4,000 athletes from 30 nations will compete at the USA Fencing National Championships and July Challenge from June 27 – July 6 in San Jose, Calif.

Competition will be held in Exhibit Halls 1-3 at the San Jose Convention Center. All events are free for spectators and open to the public. 

The largest fencing tournament in the world will feature athletes ranging in age from 7 to 80-years-old competing in men’s and women’s epee, foil and saber events.

Sixty-six national titles will be awarded with competition being held in the following categories:

• Senior Team
• Division IA
• Division II
• Division III
• Youth 14
• Youth 12
• Youth 10
• Veteran 40-49
• Veteran 50-59
• Veteran 60-69
• Veteran +70

The July Challenge includes both foreign and U.S. fencers competing in Division I, Junior (U20) and Cadet (U17) events who will be eligible to win one of 18 titles.

For Division I fencers, the July Challenge will be the final competition held before the Senior World Championships begin on July 13 in Moscow and nearly all of the 2015 Senior World Team members will be fencing in the event, including:

• Race Imboden (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Men’s Foil), 2012 Olympian and 2013 Senior World team silver medalist
• Gerek Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif. / Men’s Foil), two-time Olympian and two-time Senior World medalist
• Miles Chamley-Watson (New York City, N.Y. / Men’s Foil), 2012 Olympian and 2013 Senior World Champion
• Lee Kiefer (Lexington, Ky. / Women’s Foil), 2012 Olympian and 2011 Senior World bronze medalist
• Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Women’s Foil), 2012 Olympian
• Nicole Ross (New York City, N.Y. / Women’s Foil), 2012 Olympian
• Daryl Homer (Bronx, N.Y. / Men’s Saber), 2012 Olympian
• Jeff Spear (Wynantskill, N.Y. / Men’s Saber), 2012 Olympian
• Ben Bratton (New York City, N.Y. / Men’s Epee), 2012 Senior World Team Champion
• Eli Dershwitz (Sherborn, Mass. / Men’s Saber), 2015 Junior World Champion
• Sabrina Massialas (San Francisco, Calif. / Women’s Foil), 2014 Youth Olympic Games Champion
• Margaret Lu (Greenwich, Conn. / Women’s Foil), five-time Junior World medalist
• Katharine Holmes (Washington, D.C. / Women’s Epee), two-time Junior World medalist
• Anna Van Brummen (Houston, Texas / Women’s Epee), two-time Junior World medalist
• Jimmy Moody (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Men’s Epee), 2015 Pan American Team Champion
• Ariel Simmons (Bellaire, Texas / Men’s Epee), 2015 Pan American Team Champion
• Jason Pryor (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Men’s Epee), 2015 Pan American Team Champion
• Peter Souders (Silver Spring, Md. / Men’s Saber), 2015 Pan American Team Champion
• Yeisser Ramirez (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Men’s Epee), 2014 National Champion
• Katarzyna Trzopek (Pacifica, Calif. / Women’s Epee), 2003 NCAA Champion

Following the July Challenge, members of the men’s and women’s foil teams will remain in San Jose for a pre-Worlds training camp. On July 3, the foil squads will hold two-hour mini camps for youth, junior and cadet fencers. Young fencers will have the chance to work with men’s team members Meinhardt, Imboden, Chamley-Watson and London Olympian Alex Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.) while the women’s clinic will be run by Kiefer, Prescod, Ross, Lu and Sabrina Massialas. Click here for more information.

The 2015 Veteran World Championship Team also will be selected at the Summer Nationals with the top four athletes in each eligible age group (50-59, 60-69 and +70) being named to U.S. team that will compete in October in Limoges, France.

Among the hundreds of veteran fencers who will take the strip in San Jose are Xx past individual Veteran World Champions who will each be vying for a chance to represent Team USA in Limoges:

• Jane Eyre (Swedesboro, N.J. / Vet 60-69 Women’s Saber), four-time Vet World Champion
• Elizabeth Kocab (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Vet 60-69 Women’s Epee), three-time Vet World Champion
• Jennette Starks-Faulkner (Middletown, Conn. / Vet 60-69 Women’s Foil and Saber), 2015 Vet World Champion in foil
• David Seuss (Charlestown, Mass. / Vet 60-69 Men’s Saber), 2013 Vet World Champion
• Will Milne (Redwood City, Calif. / Vet 50-50 Men’s Saber), 2012 Vet World Champion
• Wang Yung (Swedesboro, N.J. / Vet 60-69 Men’s Saber), 2011 Vet World Champion
• Walter Dragonetti (Elyria, Ohio / Vet 50-59 Men’s Epee), 2009 Vet World Champion
• Kazimieras Campe (Edgewater, Md. / Vet +70 Men’s Epee), 1998 Vet World Champion

Click here to view the preliminary seeding list for the Summer Nationals and July Challenge.

Competition schedule is as follows (Note: all times are estimated start times, rounds continue through completion of finals):

Saturday, June 27
8:30 a.m. Cadet Women’s Epee
8:30 a.m. Div I Women’s Saber
8:30 a.m. Div I Men’s Foil
12:30 p.m. Cadet Men’s Saber
1:30 p.m. Div IA Men’s Epee
2:30 p.m. Div IA Women’s Foil

Sunday, June 28
8:30 a.m. Junior Men’s Saber
8:30 a.m. Div I Women’s Foil
8:30 a.m. Div I Men’s Epee
1 p.m. Senior Team Men’s Foil
2:30 p.m. Junior Women’s Epee
2:30 p.m. Senior Team Women’s Saber

Monday, June 29
8:30 a.m. Cadet Men’s Foil
8:30 a.m. Div I Men’s Saber
8:30 a.m. Senior Team Men’s Epee
11:30 a.m. Div I Women’s Epee
Noon Senior Team Women’s Foil
2 p.m. Cadet Women’s Saber

Tuesday, June 30
8:30 a.m. Junior Men’s Epee
8:30 a.m. Junior Women’s Foil
8:30 a.m. Vet +70 Men’s Epee
8:30 a.m. Vet +70 Women’s Foil
10:30 a.m. Vet 40-49 Women’s Foil
11:30 a.m. Senior Team Men’s Saber
Noon Senior Team Women’s Epee
2:30 p.m. Vet 40-49 Men’s Epee
2:30 p.m. Vet 50-59 Men’s Epee
2:30 p.m. Vet 60-69 Men’s Epee
2:30 p.m. Div IA Men’s Foil
3 p.m. Vet 50-59 Women’s Foil
3 p.m. Vet 60-69 Women’s Foil
3:30 p.m. Div IA Women’s Saber

Wednesday, July 1
8:30 a.m. Junior Men’s Foil
8:30 a.m. Div II Men’s Epee
11 a.m. Vet 40-49 Women’s Saber
11 a.m. Vet 50-59 Women’s Saber
11 a.m. Vet 60-69 Women’s Saber
11 a.m. Vet +70 Women’s Saber
2 p.m. Junior Women’s Saber
2 p.m. Div IA Women’s Epee
2 p.m. Div IA Men’s Saber
2:30 p.m. Vet 40-49 Men’s Foil
2:30 p.m. Div II Women’s Foil
3:30 p.m. Vet +70 Men’s Foil
4:30 p.m. Vet 50-59 Men’s Foil
4:30 p.m. Vet 60-69 Men’s Foil

Thursday, July 2
8:30 a.m. Y14 Women’s Epee
8:30 a.m. Div III Women’s Saber
8:30 a.m. Div III Men’s Foil
1 p.m. Cadet Women’s Foil
2 p.m. Y14 Men’s Saber
2 p.m. Cadet Men’s Epee

Friday, July 3
8:30 a.m. Vet 60-69 Men’s Saber
8:30 a.m. Vet +70 Men’s Saber
8:30 a.m. Div II Women’s Saber
8:30 a.m. Div II Men’s Foil
8:30 a.m. Div III Men’s Epee
11 a.m. Vet 50-59 Men’s Saber
11:30 a.m. Vet 50-59 Women’s Epee
2:30 p.m. Y12 Men’s Saber
2:30 p.m. Y12 Women’s Epee
2:30 p.m. Div III Women’s Foil
3:30 p.m. Vet 40-49 Men’s Saber
3:30 p.m. Vet 40-49 Women’s Epee
3:30 p.m. Vet 60-69 Women’s Epee
3:30 p.m. Vet +70 Women’s Epee

Saturday, July 4
8:30 a.m. Y10 Men’s Epee
8:30 a.m. Y14 Men’s Foil
8:30 a.m. Y14 Women’s Saber
2 p.m. Div III Women’s Epee
2 p.m. Div III Men’s Saber
2:30 p.m. Y10 Women’s Foil

Sunday, July 5
8:30 a.m. Y12 Men’s Epee
8:30 a.m. Y12 Women’s Foil
8:30 a.m. Div II Men’s Saber
2 p.m. Y10 Men’s Foil
2 p.m. Y10 Women’s Saber
2 p.m. Div II Women’s Epee

Monday, July 6
8:30 a.m. Y14 Men’s Epee
8:30 a.m. Y14 Women’s Foil
11 a.m. Y10 Men’s Saber
1:30 p.m. Y12 Women’s Saber
2 p.m. Y12 Men’s Foil