Release Courtesy of USA Fencing's Nicole Jomantas
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The U.S. Olympic Men's and Women's Saber Teams are nearly finalized with three more athletes securing their positions at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Each of these three athletes has earned finishes over the course of the Olympic qualifying period that allow them to be mathematically secured as one of the top four athletes in their weapon on the USA Fencing National Team Point Standings prior to this weekend's final qualifier at the May North American Cup in Richmond, Va.
Andrew Mackiewicz (Westwood, Mass. / Zeta Fencing / Penn State) has earned the third individual slot on the men's squad, joining 2016 Olympic silver medalist Daryl Homer (Bronx, N.Y. / Peter Westbrook Foundation / St. John's) and 2018 Senior World medalist Eli Dershwitz (Sherborn, Mass. / Zeta Fencing / Harvard). Tokyo will mark the first Olympic appearance for Mackiewicz while Dershwitz and Homer will be fencing at their second and third Games, respectively.
A three-time Senior World Team member, Mackiewicz earned three top-64 finishes during the Olympic qualifying period that began in May of 2019 as well as a top-32 result at the Cairo World Cup. Mackiewicz, who won back-to-back NCAA titles for Penn State in 2015 and 2016, also won team bronze at the Junior World Championships in 2014 and individual silver at the 2012 Cadet Worlds.
On the women's side, 2016 Olympic team bronze medalist Dagmara Wozniak (Avenel, N.J. / Manhattan Fencing Center / St. John's) and Francesca Russo (Wayne, N.J. / Bergen Fencing / Notre Dame) will each travel to Tokyo as well with Wozniak sitting as the No. 3 fencer in the USA Fencing National Team Point Standings and Russo moving up to fourth after a top-32 result at the Budapest World Cup in March.
One tournament remains, however, to determine which athlete will earn the third individual spot on the team and which athlete will serve as the replacement athlete who is eligible to fence the team event only in Tokyo. Both Wozniak and Russo will fence at the May NAC in Richmond, Va. on Saturday where Wozniak can clinch the No. 3 position with a top-32 finish and Russo is looking for a return to the podium after winning bronze at the April NAC. Wozniak and Russo will join two-time Olympic Champion Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore. / Oregon Fencing Alliance / Notre Dame) and 2018 Senior World bronze medalist Eliza Stone (Chicago, Ill. / Bergen Fencing / Princeton) who have already secured their individual positions on the team. Zagunis will compete in her fifth straight Olympic Games with Stone making her debut in Tokyo.
Tokyo will be the fourth trip to the Games for Wozniak who traveled as a replacement athlete in 2008 before earning a top-eight individual finish in 2012 and winning bronze with Team USA in 2016. A four-time All-American during her career at St. John's, Wozniak holds seven individual World Cup medals as well as four Senior World medals, including gold in 2014.
A 2013 Junior World Team Champion and 2012 Cadet World individual bronze medalist, Russo ended the Olympic qualification period with a series of strong results, including top-32 finishes at two of the last three international qualifiers with an 18th place result at the Budapest World Cup in March and a 20th place finish at the Montreal Grand Prix in 2020. A two-time NCAA Champion for Notre Dame and five-time Junior World Team member, Russo will become one of the very few U.S. fencers in history to make the Olympic Games her Senior National Team debut with the last athlete to do so being Jeff Spear (Wynantskill, N.Y. / New York Athletic Club / Columbia) at the 2012 Olympic Games.
One slot remains on the men's saber squad with three athletes in contention for the position as the replacement athlete who will be able to fence the team event only in Tokyo. Khalil Thompson (Teaneck, N.J. / Peter Westbrook Foundation), a 2019 Senior World Team member, is No. 4 in the rankings followed by former Junior World Team members Grant Williams (Austin, Texas / Durkan Fencing Academy / New York University) and Jonah Shainberg (Rye, N.Y. / Tim Morehouse Fencing Center / Notre Dame) who are ranked No. 5 and 6, respectively. All three athletes will be competing in Richmond this weekend in the final attempt to earn a position on Team USA.
In addition to the saber squads, the final position on the men's epee squad also will be determined in Richmond with Soren Thompson (New York City, N.Y. / New York Athletic Club / Princeton), Dwight Smith (Elmont, N.Y. / Peter Westbrook Foundation / Columbia), Alen Hadzic (West Orange, N.J. / Fencers Club / Columbia), James Kaull (New York City, N.Y. / New York Athletic Club / Notre Dame) and Adam Rodney (New Orleans, La. / Peter Westbrook Foundation / St. John's) all in contention to earn a position on Team USA as the replacement athlete. The athletes competing in the individual events were finalized in March with Jake Hoyle (New York City, N.Y. / New York Athletic Club / Columbia), Curtis McDowald (Jamaica, N.Y. / Peter Westbrook Foundation / St. John's) and Yeisser Ramirez (Brooklyn, N.Y. Peter Westbrook Foundation) earning positions on Team USA.
The U.S. Olympic Fencing Team qualification announcement comes following the decision by the Federation Internationale d'Escrime not to hold any further international events prior to the Olympic Games. Therefore, the final Olympic qualifying tournament for all weapons will be the May NAC in Richmond with Division I competition being held for Men on Friday, May 7 and women on Saturday, May 8.
All nominations to the U.S. Olympic Fencing Team are subject to approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee
