More than half of the Owls participating at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional Championship qualified for the NCAA Championships March 20-23 in Columbus, Ohio.
“It was a very strong tournament… it was the top 36 people in our region in each weapon… that was a very good showing for us,” coach Nikki Franke said. “All of our girls made the quarterfinals.”
The épée squad had a strong day. They had three qualifiers for the Finals. Senior Chantal Montrose finished fifth, freshman Rachael Clark finished sixth, and freshman Alexandra Keft finished ninth.
“That was a great showing, especially because two of them our freshman,” Franke said. “It was great experience for them and for them to be able to handle the kind of pressure that tournament has is really going to help them in the future.”
Montrose, who received a first round bye, was a combined 9-1 in her second and third rounds of action. Clark, who also revived a first round bye, went a combined 8-2 in the second and third round.
Junior Tiki Kastor and sophomore Petra Khan placed eighth and 12th, respectively, in sabre and both qualified for the finals.
Senior Epiphany Georges placed 10th and Fatima Largaespada placed 11th in foil, which qualified both for the finals.
The NCAA Championship selections will be made on March 11. There is a maximum of two per weapon for each team that can qualify.
“I don’t see any problem with the staying focused the next week and a half,” Franke said.
Michael Guise can be reached at michaelguise@temple.edu or on Twitter @MikeG2511.
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