UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Nittany Lion fencing teams will conclude their 2025-2026 season at the NCAA National Fencing Championships that start on Thursday, March 19 and run through Sunday, March 22. The National Fencing Championships are being held in South Bend, In. at the University of Notre Dame, the site of the reigning champions.
NCAA NATIONAL FENCING CHAMPIONSHIP SELECTIONS
Penn State completed the first round of postseason competition at the Mid-Atlantic/South Regional Championships hosted at the University of Haverford. The Nittany Lions faced competition from schools across the region to compete for NCAA qualification in the 2026 National Fencing Championships.
Five Nittany Lions earned top 10 weapon rankings at the regional championships with seven being selected to compete in the national championships.
Samantha Catantan finished the first round of postseason competition as the Mid-Atlantic/South regional championship for women’s foil. The accolade is the first of Catantan’s collegiate career. After an impressive regular season campaign, Catantan will carry the momentum into the national championships.
Two Nittany Lions earned a selection for the men’s foil team, Spencer Burke and Tit Nam Cheng. Burke earns his first nod at nationals after finishing the regional championships in 6th place. Cheng will make his second appearance in the national championships after finishing in 15th place overall in 2024.
Sophomore Allegra Cristofoletto will make her second trip to the national championships in as many years after a 14th overall finish in the regional championships. Cristofoletto earned her first selection as a freshman in 2025 and finished in 9th place overall in women’s epee.
Tingwei Xu will make his way back to the national championships to represent the men’s epee team. In regional competition, Xu qualified after a 10th place finish for his weapon. Xu finished the 2025 national championships in 10th place in men’s epee.
Eunyu Kim will also make another appearance in the national championships as part of the women’s saber team. Kim put up impressive performances all season long for the Nittany Lions and continued into the start of the postseason with a 12th place finish at regionals.
For the men’s saber team, Neil Lilov will represent Penn State at the national championships for the second consecutive year after earning a 5th place finish overall in regional competition. In the 2025 national championships, Lilov finished just one place out of earning All-American status, finishing his junior season with a 9th place finish for men’s saber.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the Penn State Fencing team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateFen) and X/Instagram (@pennstatefen). Live updates during competitions regarding meet day information and other important notes will be posted on X.