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Four Brandeis fencers are attempting to add yet another chapter to the program's distinguished history. After an unprecedented win at the New England Collegiate Fencing Championships last month, the Judges looked to make some noise at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Northeast Regional Fencing Championships this past Sunday at St. John's University.  
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They did. 
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Men's foilist Julian Cardillo '14 and saberist Adam Mandel '15 will likely receive qualifying bids to the NCAA Fencing Championships. Women's foilist Caroline Mattos '16 is also a likely pick. Men's saberist Jess Ochs-Willard '15, while fading in the final pool, still has high hopes of securing a fourth and final bid for the championship round, which is set to take place from March 21 to 24 in San Antonio.
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Cardillo emphasized that this was the toughest field at Regionals he has ever competed against, focusing on the immensity of the Judges' most recent accomplishment.
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"I have never seen such a deep and competitive collection of fencers that all had the skill set to advance to the final round," he said. "It comes down to the fact that four of our fencers made the finals in three events. That's pretty tough to do in such a deep field."
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Each of these four fencers will discover their fate today, looking to etch their place into the Brandeis record books as the largest class of fencers to advance to NCAA's. 
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Cardillo, who is looking to make the championships for the third consecutive year, finished seventh out of 38 competitors on the day, and placed sixth in overall qualifying. He would be the first fencer to advance to three consecutive NCAA Championships for the Judges since Will Friedman '09. Mattos placed seventh in the field of 45 fencers and also sixth in overall qualifying, establishing herself as a premier fencer in a highly competitive field. 
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Mandel, who eventually finished ninth in overall qualifying, placed 10th out of 34 saberists in the regional championships, while Ochs-Willard placed 11th in regional and overall qualifying. 
After going 4-2 in the first round and 3-3 in the second round, Cardillo advanced to the final round, where he went 5-6. Cardillo, though, made his point, defeating the eventual regional champion from Harvard University, sophomore Brian Kanishige, in the final round.
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Mattos went 4-2 in the first round and 5-1 in the second round, followed by an impressive five wins in the final pool. 
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Despite only securing three wins in the final round, meanwhile, Mandel may have done just enough to earn his ticket to San Antonio, securing a 7-4 record in the first and second pools.
Ochs-Willard, who finished 5-1 in the first round and 3-3 in the second round, defeated Mandel 5-4 in a final round match. Ochs-Willard eventually ended the final round with a 3-8 record, placing his NCAA status in question as the field is announced later today.
Cardillo acknowledged that their goal is to continue to preserve focus and fortitude.
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"We just have to be physically and mentally ready," he said. "There is going to be a lot of bouting and lessons from Coach Shipman, but ultimately, your mind just has to be in the right place for such a monumental event."
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Eleven other Judges also made their mark in the regional championships. For the men's squad, saberist Ben Loft '15 finished 15th overall, while foilist Noah Berman '15 placed 24th. ?ap?(c)eists Tom Hearne '16, Mike Zook '13 and Harry Kaufer '13 still succeeded on the big stage, finishing in 24th, 31st and 32nd, respectively.
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Women's saberist Zoe Messinger '13 came in 18th, falling just short of a perfect end to a memorable Judges career. Saberist Emmily Smith '13 finished 34th while foilist Annette Kim '16 placed 30th. Ep?(c)eists Sonya Glickman '16, Kristin Ha '14 and Alexis Gremillion '16 finished in 20th, 31st and 42nd, respectively, to round out the team's performances.
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The four fencers, meanwhile, who look to compete in the national championships, will look to perform in San Antonio, Texas later this month.
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- Adam Rabinowitz contributed reporting