STANFORD, Calif. -- The Stanford fencing team repeated as conference champion, won four individual conference titles, crowned three regional champs and sent four to the national championships in 2023.
At the NCAA Fencing Championships, Stanford placed 13th with a team of Irene Yeu, Crystal Qian, Joy Yun, and Donghwan Park.
Yeu placed 11th at epee, going 6-1 on the final day of pool competition to secure her second All-America honor. Among her 12 victories in the NCAA tournament, three were over top-six placers. Among those were over Notre Dame's Kaylin Sin Yan Hsieh, the defending champion, and Eszter Muhari, ranked No. 17 in the world at the time.
Yeu's success marked the 41st time a Stanford woman has placed in the top 12 in any weapon and the 16th time in epee. Yeu, who was fifth in 2021, is among eight different Cardinal women to place among the top-12 in epee.
Freshman Crystal Qian finished just two spots out of All-America recognition, in 14th, going 12-11 in foil to finish the season with a 49-22 record.
Qian doubled as the MPSF and NCAA West Region foil champ. Qian went 8-2 at the West Regionals, 16-6 at the Western Invitational, and 11-3 at the Northwestern Duals. In the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation's team relay that decided the conference team title, Qian closed out the 30-18 semifinal victory over Incarnate Word, and out-touched her Air Force opponent, 5-2, in the final.
Yun was the MPSF's Women's Fencer of the Year. She won the MPSF and NCAA West Region titles in saber, her first. Yun advanced to the national championships for the second time, placing 22nd and earning a victory over Maggie Shealy, first in pool competition. Yun finished with an overall record of 41-22 (.651), including a 9-2 record at the NCAA West Regionals and 18-3 mark at the Western Invitational. In the MPSF team relay, Yun out-touched her Incarnate Word opponent, 5-1 in the semifinals and her Air Force opponent, 7-2, in the final that resulted in the team title.
Park, a junior and two-time All-American, was named MPSF Men's Fencer of the Year. Park captured the MPSF championship in saber and won his first NCAA West Region title. Park advanced to nationals where he placed 17th.
During the MPSF team relay, Park out-touched his Incarnate Word opponent, 10-7, in the semifinals, and his Air Force opponent, 5-3, in the final to secure the team title. Park went 59-26 (.694) overall in individual competition, including 21-4 at the Northwestern Duals and 11-2 at the NCAA West Regionals.
The MPSF team title was decided by a freshman, Sanjay Kasi. Though he struggled the day before in the West Regionals, Kasi was placed in the final spot in the lineup for the MPSF team relay final against Air Force.
Stanford was leading 25-15 when Kasi took to the strip to face MPSF foil champ Jack Griffith in the first-to-30 contest for the conference title. Kasi didn't back down. Though Griffith outscored him, 9-5, Kasi never allowed his opponent momentum and got the touches he needed to ignite a Cardinal celebration.
Sanjay Kasi. Photo by Karen Hickey/ISIphotos.com.
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Honors and Achievements
Team
13th at NCAA Championships.
MPSF champion.
Four NCAA qualifiers.
Three NCAA West Region champions.
Four MPSF champions.
Two MPSF fencers of the year.
Coach
Lisa Posthumus
MPSF Coach of the Year.
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Men
Eugene Ko
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.
Donghwan Park
MPSF Men's Fencer of the Year.
NCAA West Region saber champion.
MPSF saber champion.
17th in saber at NCAA Championships.
All-West Region first team.
All-MPSF first team.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.
Luke Park
All-MPSF second team.
Kai Rayle
All-West Region second team.
All-MPSF first team.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.
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Women
Jeanette Han
All-West Region honorable mention.
All-MPSF second team.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.
Charlotte He
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.
Liana Keesing
NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
Haley Koo
All-MPSF second team.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.
Woo Joo Kwon
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.
Hanna Lee
All-West Region honorable mention.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.
Zhiyin Lin
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.
Crystal Qian
MPSF Women's Newcomer of the Year.
NCAA West Region foil champion.
MPSF foil champion.
Placed 14th in foil in NCAA Championships.
All-MPSF first team.
All-West Region first team.
Sofia Raso
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.
Irene Yeu
All-American second team.
MPSF epee champion.
Placed 11th in epee at NCAA Championships.
All-West Region first team.
All-MPSF first team.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.
Joy Yun
MPSF Women's Fencer of the Year.
NCAA West Region saber champion.
MPSF saber champion.
22nd in saber at NCAA Championships.
All-West Region first team.
All-MPSF first team.
Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll.
MPSF All-Academic.