St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Fencers Named to World Championship Team
8/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Fencing
The World Championships, held annually except in the year of the Olympics, is the competition concluding a full year of World Cup competitions. Fencers are seeded on the basis of rankings earned on the World Cup circuit over the season.
St. Johns senior Ivan Lee (Brooklyn, N.Y.) has been selected to represent the United States in the sabre. Lee, who is a two-time IFA and NCAA champion, currently ranks No. 2 in the U.S. and 52nd in the world. He played an important role on the Red Storms 2001 NCAA Championship and 2002 NCAA Runner-up teams.
Joining Lee in the sabre on the World Championship team is Red Storm alum Keeth Smart (New York, N.Y.). Smart is the top ranked American male in the sabre and currently ranks 16th in the world. He was member of the 2001 NCAA Championship and 2000 United States Olympic teams.
St. Johns alum Jonathan Tiomkin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was named to the World Championship Foil team. Tiomkin is the top ranked American male in the foil and ranks 52nd in the world. He earned a silver medal in the foil at the 2002 NCAA Championships and captained the Red Storm to a second place finish.
St. Johns fencing head coach Yury Gelman will be on hand as a coach for the U.S. World Championship team. Gelman in his seven seasons has developed St. Johns into a national powerhouse. He led St. Johns to the NCAA Championship in 2001, the Red Storms second National Championship in athletic history.
