Air Force Top MPSF Program With 11th Place Finish At NCAA Fencing Championships

Air Force fencing placed 11th at the 2023 NCAA Fencing Championships, which ran Thurs.-Sun, March 23-26 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the Duke University campus in Durham, NC. The Falcons, with its six cadet-athletes competing, were the top-finishing team from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. It was also Air Force's second-best finish at the NCAA's since 2003.

Air Force was the top MPSF program with 43 points. Stanford finished in 13th with 41 points and UC San Diego was 16th with 34 points. Notre Dame claimed the title with 188 points.

Junior Josie Ratzlaff was Air Force's top finisher with a 13th place finish in women's epee. Ratzlaff, who made her third-career appearance at the NCAA's, notched 10 bout victories for the Falcons.

A pair of freshmen also competed for the Falcons on the women's side. Mira Vestel placed 20th in women's saber with eight bout victories in her NCAA's debut. Melissa Kline finished 24th in women's foil with five bout victories in her NCAA's debut.

On the men's side, freshman Jack Griffith led Air Force with a 19th place finish in men's foil. Griffith tallied eight bout victories in his NCAA's debut.

Junior Ned Maurer also participated in his first-career NCAA's, finishing 24th in men's foil. Maurer posted four bout victories.

Senior Matthew Han placed 20th in men's epee, with eight bout victories. Han caps his career with four NCAA Championship qualifications.

Head Coach Omar Elgeziry on the the Falcons at the NCAA's:
"What an intense four days and a fantastic experience for our cadets. They showed they were great fighters and excellent examples of perseverance and grit. I'm very proud of this tremendous squad and very happy for the huge experience that our freshmen gained. Even though they didn't earn any NCAA titles on the individual side, they managed to bring the team to 11th place in the overall competition from 16th place last year. Our finish is the second-best since 2003. It's a real attestation that we are growing and moving in the right direction. It would've felt good to return with a couple of NCAA titles but the good news is that our team is young and we have lots of room to improve. I can't wait to see more progress with this amazing group!"

Air Force concludes the 2022-23 season with the All-Academy Duels on April 15-16. The All-Academy Duels feature Air Force, Army and Navy and will take place in the Cadet Gym at the Academy.

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