March 7, 2004

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Six members of the men's and women's fencing teams will head to the NCAA Midwest Regional competition on Sunday, March 14 at Northwestern. The sextet of Vikings gained a berth in the NCAA Championship qualifier in Evanston, Ill. via their performance on Sunday at the Midwest Conference Championships in South Bend, Ind. Senior Tim Levar (epee) and freshman Mike Merker (foil) led the way, earning honorable mention All-Midwest honors. Joining the pair at regionals will be freshman Nate Krieger (epee), junior Tom Kotula (foil), junior Robert Leonard (sabre) and senior Jen Marvinney (foil).

In team competition on Saturday, CSU's epee squads fared better than expected. Seeded eighth, the men's team comprised of Krieger, Levar and Merker finished fourth out of 15 teams, while Marvinney, senior Joy Visjnic-Flaherty and junior Shariah Pratt led the women's team to a seventh-place finish.

"They made the regional round a little more exclusive this year, so getting six in is very good for us," head coach Jim Sager said. "They definitely exceeded my expectations this weekend and I am excited to see how we fence at the regionals."