Air Force Academy

Dec. 24, 2002

Ten Air Force fencers finished strong in the North American Cup Division I competition in December. Seth Kelsey proved he is one of the top fencers in the nation with his sixth-place finish. Both Jackson Ranes and Tim French finished in the top-12, which are very good results for both. Kelsey lost to Michael Sobieraj from Poland, the tournament winner, in a close bout.

"Kelsey didn't adjust his technique fast enough to meet Sobieraj's long, fast attacks and rebounds," head coach Abdel Salem said.

French beat several good fencers, including Cody Mattern who is ranked sixth in the U.S. Ranes was unstoppable early in the competition, but by the end of the day had lost some of his edge. A tough competitor, Ranes finished 10th among 175 competitors.

"The Air Force team did a great job in Columbus," C4C Ranes said. "Three of the top-12 fencers are from Air Force. I personally have never finished this high in a Division I NAC, and I am happy with my performance.

Anthony Pryor lost a bout he should have won, which cost him the advancement to the next round of fencing.

"The results was a strong finish for Air Force," C4C French said. "This was my highest finish in a Division I competition and I am very proud of my result. We proved that Air Force has top fencers and are tough competitors."

In women's epee, Elia Burrill and Caitlin Harris did not advance as high as Salem had expected. In the field of 100 fencers, Burrill and Harris finished in 40th-place.

"It was a bad day for them," Salem said. "I expected both of them to do better. Burrill had four victories and two defeats in the first round. The second round she lost three bouts by one touch. With just one of these victories, she would have kept going."

Men's sabre, Sam Bartron and Sean Blas finished 75th and 85th, respectively. Neither qualified past the first round of pools.

Men's Epee Results: 175 Competitors: Seth Kelsey (sixth); Jackson Ranes (10th); Tim French (12th); Anthony Pryor (130th)

Women's Epee Results: 100 Competitors: Elia Burrill (40th); Caitlin Harris (40th)

Men's Foil Results: 131 Competitors: Nick Mosca (76th); Sean Recame (104th)

Men's Sabre Results: 104 Competitors: Sam Bartron (75th); Sean Blas (85th)