USA Fencing

Div I Epee NAC Pilot Program Format FAQ

The first two Division I North American Cups of the 2016-17 season will be conducted under new pilot formats that will be held in lieu of the previously used repechage system.

Both of these new formats will put an emphasis on high quality pool rounds. The new formats will help fencers at all levels with their future growth and development.

At the October NAC, the top 34 seeded fencers will receive a bye out of the first round of pools. The remaining fencers will compete in a pool round with 75% of the pool fencers being promoted to preliminary direct elimination tables which will cut the field to 64. Those 64 fencers will compete in a second round of pools with the 34 fencers who earned the initial bye. Sixty-four fencers will advance from the second round of pools and into a standard direct elimination table with no repechage.

At the December NAC, a two-day pilot format will be held with the top 62 seeded fencers earning byes into the second day of competition. On the first day, all fencers outside of the top 62 seeds will fence pools. The top 75% percent of the athletes out of the pool round will be promoted to the preliminary DE tables which will be fenced through a preliminary table of 128 with 64 fencers advancing to the second day of competition. On the second day, a second round of pools will be fenced with the top 64 fencers from the first day joining the 62 fencers who earned a bye into the second day. Similar to a Senior World Cup format, the top 16 fencers out of the pool rounds will earn a bye into the table of 64. A total of 112 athletes will be promoted to the table of 128. Beginning with the table of 128, the remaining rounds will be direct elimination with no repechage rounds.

The format for the January NAC, Div I Nationals and July Challenge will be one day and will be chosen after the Sports Performance Department, Tournament Committee and National Events Department have met to review the strengths and weaknesses of the October NAC.

Division IA
For the first time, Division IA events will be held for all three weapons at the December NAC. For the Division I men’s and women’s epee events, all fencers who do not advance to the second day of competition will receive an automatic entry into the Division IA event which also will be held on the second day of competition. As this is a pilot program, entry into second day will be complimentary.

The top 40% of all finishers in the Division IA event at the December NAC will automatically qualify for the Division IA event at the 2017 USA Fencing National Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah.