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Cleveland State Competes at NCAA Regional

Cleveland State Competes at NCAA Regional

DETROIT, Mich. - The Cleveland State University fencing team continued postseason action Saturday at the NCAA Midwest Regional inside Calihan Hall.

Saturday's event is the final qualification step in advance of the NCAA Championships, which will be held in just under two weeks in Detroit.

The Vikings were competing against squads in the Regional such as Notre Dame and Ohio State, who are among the top five nationally in both genders.

Ahmad Taqi had the highest individual finish by a Viking at the event, placing fifth in men's foil. He posted eight victories in the round-robin event.

Taqi was one of three Vikings among the top 10 in that event. Freshman Lucas Bolton placed sixth, six spots higher than his pre-event rank, and fellow rookie Paul DiVenti took seventh.

Declan Forth was the other Viking that competed Saturday to notch a top-10 finish as he placed ninth in men's saber, four spots ahead of his seed. Freshman Jared Felker led the way in the men's epee event for CSU, finishing in 12th place.

Freshman Maeve Kozak posted the highest finish by a Viking female as she took 11th out of 23 competitors in the epee event. Both Kozak and sophomore Abigail Barr, who finished one spot behind Kozak in 12th, advanced through two rounds of pool play to reach the final pool round. Kozak finished three spots ahead of her seed while Barr improved by four spots.

Sophomore Claire Maltman led the way for CSU in the foil event as she reached the final pool round before she had to medically withdraw. Sophomore Dorian Pichola was the top Viking woman in the saber event.

Cleveland State had 20 total individuals take part in Saturday's event, including the maximum permitted on the men's side (12).

Detroit Mercy will be hosting the 2020 NCAA Fencing Championships March 19-22. Selections to the Championships will be announced Tuesday, March 10.