St. John's University Athletics
Event Preview: January North American Cup
1/12/2012 12:00:00 AM | Fencing
Jan. 12, 2012
QUEENS, N.Y. - The Red Storm fencing program will compete in its third national competition of the 2011-12 season, the North American Cup in Portland, Ore. this upcoming weekend. Eight current St. John's fencers and two alumni will be seeking a selection to the U.S. Olympic team that will compete in the 2012 Olympics in London, or the Junior World Championship team that will compete in Moscow in April. More than 1,000 fencers will be participating in this month's NAC, which will begin on Friday, Jan. 13 and culminate on Monday, Jan. 15.
Redshirt junior Daryl Homer will be joined by his 2011 Senior Worlds teammate, Dagmara Wozniak, in Portland. Homer, who is sitting out the 2011-12 season to train for a spot on the Olympic saber squad, is coming off of a gold medal-finish at last month's NAC in Kansas City, Mo. The two-time NCAA Champion is currently ranked second in the U.S. and 13th in the world.
Wozniak, a bronze medal winner at the 2011 Senior Worlds, is currently in second place in the U.S. Olympic Qualification Rankings for women's saber. However, to a secure a spot in the London, the St. John's alumnus will need to get by her fellow Senior Worlds teammates, Ibtihaj Muhammad and Daria Schneider, this weekend.
Also seeking Olympic qualification in Portland is alumnus Benjamin Bratton. The three-time All-American recently made a top-ten finish in men's epee at last month's NAC in Kansas City.
The trio of prospective Olympians will be joined by senior Nicholas Vomero, junior Adam Watson, sophomores Max Blitzer, Wilfred Curioso, Eli Schenkel, and Alexandra Tannous, and freshman Isis Washington.
Washington, who made four appearances on the national circuit in 2011, finished in 10th place in women's epee last month in Kansas City. The freshman from New Jersey finished 14th or better in all four of her national competitions last year.
Vomero and Watson, who finished 36th and 38th, respectively, in men's epee at the December NAC, will look to rebound in Portland this weekend. Vomero, a two-time All-American, won gold at the NAC in Dallas last January, while Watson finished 11th.
Schenkel and Blitzer will look to continue their solid play on the national circuit. Both foilists took home bronze medals and made two top-20 finishes in NAC competitions in 2011.
Below is the full competition schedule for the January NAC (note that all times are in Pacific Time):
Friday, Jan. 12
8:30 a.m.
Division I Women's Foil
Junior Men's Epee
2 p.m.
Junior Women's Saber
Saturday, Jan. 13
8:30 a.m.
Junior Men's Foil
Division I Women's Epee
1:30 p.m.
Division I Men's Saber
Sunday, Jan. 14
8:30 a.m.
Division I Men's Epee
Division I Women's Saber
1:30 p.m.
Junior Women's Foil
Monday, Jan. 15
8:30 a.m.
Division I Men's Foil
Junior Women's Epee
11 a.m.
Junior Men's Saber
Players Mentioned
