Dec. 7, 2011

QUEENS, N.Y. – Fresh off a fantastic, unbeaten outing at the Brandeis Invitational this past Sunday, St. John’s will send nine fencers to compete in the Division One North American Cup (NAC) in Kansas City, Mo., this weekend. The NAC will begin Friday, Dec. 9 and will conclude on Monday, Dec. 12.

Of the nine fencers St. John’s is sending to Kansas City, four of them have NCAA Championship experience and three of them have earned All-America honors.

Storm Tracker

Nicholas Vomero, a two-time All-American, has already captured a gold medal on the national circuit, winning the NAC in Dallas this past January. The native of Centerport, N.Y. competed in just 10 bouts in the Brandeis Invitational this past Sunday, but won eight of them and should be well rested to take on the best epeeists the nation has to offer.

Competing in Vomero’s event will be Benjamin Bratton, a member of the St. John’s Class of 2007 and a three-time All-American as a member of the Red Storm fencing team. Bratton is seeking a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic roster.

Another St. John’s Olympic hopeful hitting the strip in Kansas City is redshirt junior Daryl Homer. The two-time NCAA Champion is sitting out the 2011-12 to train for the Olympics. Head Coach Yury Gelman rated his chances of receiving one of the three spots on the U.S. Saber team at: “99 percent.”

This weekend, Homer will likely have to get by Tim Morehouse, his teammate in the 2011 Senior Worlds in Catania, Italy. The 2008 Summer Olympics silver medalist was in first place in the latest released Olympic qualification rankings – Homer was in second.

Another possible late-round opponent for Homer at the Kansas City NAC is fellow St. John’s sabreur, junior Sean Buckley. Buckley narrowly missed going undefeated at the Brandeis Invitational after winning his first 12 bouts. The two-time All-American finished with a 14-1 record at the event.

Competing in her fourth NAC this year is freshman Isis Washington. Her highest finish was at the Dallas NAC in which she took home a bronze medal. This past Sunday, the Garden State native went 14-2 in her first collegiate invitational, winning her first seven bouts.

Below is the full roster that will travel to Kansas City:

Men’s Saber (Monday, Dec. 10 at 8:30 a.m.):
Sean Buckley (junior)

Men’s Foil (Friday, Dec. 9 at 8:30 a.m.):
Max Blitzer (sophomore)
Wilfred Curioso (sophomore)
Eli Schenkel (sophomore)

Men’s Epee (Saturday, Dec. 10 at 8:30 a.m.):
Nicholas Vomero (senior)
Adam Watson (junior)

Women’s Saber (Saturday, Dec. 10 at 8:30 a.m.):
Anna Limbach (sophomore)
Alexandra Tannous (sophomore)

Women’s Epee (Sunday, Dec. 11 at 8:30 a.m.):
Isis Washington (freshman)