Temple University Athletics
Saturday, March 23
Cleveland, Ohio
All Day
Temple University
vs
NCAA Championships
Fencers Prepare to Compete at the NCAA Championships this Weekend
3.21.19 | Women's Fencing
PHILADELPHIA - Three Temple fencers are prepared to compete on the national stage and will represent the seventh-ranked Owls at the 2019 NCAA Championships. Junior Kerry Plunkett (sabre) will make her third straight appearance, junior Kennedy Lovelace (foil) will make her second, and senior Blessing Olaode earned her first-ever spot after winning the sabre title at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional.
Video Preview
> Head Coach Dr. Nikki Franke and all three fencers discussed their thoughts leading up to this weekend's championships. Click HERE to see the video.
Meet Information
> The overall field for the women has 72 competitors, with 24 in each weapon.
> The championships will take place March 23-24 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, following two days of men's competition.
> The action begins at 9 a.m. both days, with semifinals beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
> Fencers will compete in a round-robin format of five-touch bouts. After the round-robin, the top-four finishers in each weapon will fence in semifinal 15-touch bouts, with the winners fencing to determine first and second places, and the non-advancing fencers being awarded a tie for third place.
> A live feed of the semifinal and final bouts will be available on WatchESPN or the WatchESPN App.Â
About the Owls
>Â Olaode is the overall team captain in 2018-19 and the sabre squad leader for a second year in a row. She finished her dual meet career at Temple with an impressive record of 147-93.Â
> Last year, Olaode placed fifth at the Mid-Atlantic/South Regional and was an institutional alternate for the NCAA Championships. Earlier this season she turned in a 32nd-place performance at the January NAC, her best ever, while also helping lead sabre to a second-place team finish.
>Â Lovelace is a 2018 NCAA Second Team All-American after placing seventh in foil a year ago. She earned her berth by virtue of finishing third at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional and having a season dual meet record of 43-27. Lovelace serves as the foil squad leader on this year's team.
>Â For a third year in a row, Plunkett will represent the sabre squad at the NCAA Championships. Her 53-14 season record, combined with her fourth-place finish at the regional meet, earned her a spot.Â
> Plunkett went 9-1 at the Owls' own Temple Invitational to close out the dual meet season and was an outstanding 20-2 at the Northwestern Duals including a perfect 12-0 mark on the first day. Her top finish at NCAAs so far was a 19th-place finish in her freshman year.
Â
Video Preview
> Head Coach Dr. Nikki Franke and all three fencers discussed their thoughts leading up to this weekend's championships. Click HERE to see the video.
Meet Information
> The overall field for the women has 72 competitors, with 24 in each weapon.
> The championships will take place March 23-24 at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, following two days of men's competition.
> The action begins at 9 a.m. both days, with semifinals beginning at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
> Fencers will compete in a round-robin format of five-touch bouts. After the round-robin, the top-four finishers in each weapon will fence in semifinal 15-touch bouts, with the winners fencing to determine first and second places, and the non-advancing fencers being awarded a tie for third place.
> A live feed of the semifinal and final bouts will be available on WatchESPN or the WatchESPN App.Â
About the Owls
>Â Olaode is the overall team captain in 2018-19 and the sabre squad leader for a second year in a row. She finished her dual meet career at Temple with an impressive record of 147-93.Â
> Last year, Olaode placed fifth at the Mid-Atlantic/South Regional and was an institutional alternate for the NCAA Championships. Earlier this season she turned in a 32nd-place performance at the January NAC, her best ever, while also helping lead sabre to a second-place team finish.
>Â Lovelace is a 2018 NCAA Second Team All-American after placing seventh in foil a year ago. She earned her berth by virtue of finishing third at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional and having a season dual meet record of 43-27. Lovelace serves as the foil squad leader on this year's team.
>Â For a third year in a row, Plunkett will represent the sabre squad at the NCAA Championships. Her 53-14 season record, combined with her fourth-place finish at the regional meet, earned her a spot.Â
> Plunkett went 9-1 at the Owls' own Temple Invitational to close out the dual meet season and was an outstanding 20-2 at the Northwestern Duals including a perfect 12-0 mark on the first day. Her top finish at NCAAs so far was a 19th-place finish in her freshman year.
Â
Players Mentioned
Foil
/ Women's Fencing
Sabre
/ Women's Fencing
Sabre
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