The men's fencing team has not sent a saber fencer to the NCAA Championships since 2009. Olympic silver medal saber Tim Morehouse '00, who won silver in 2008, was the last Brandeis fencer to earn All-America honors.

Late last month, the history books were re-written.

Saberist Adam Mandel '15 surged to a 12th-place finish on the second day of the NCAA Championships to earn All-America honors in San Antonio, Tex.

The road to the NCAA Championships was not an easy one for Mandel, who secured the ninth and final spot from the Northeast Region on March 10. Mandel entered the second round of the Northeast Regionals with a 4-2 record that put him in seventh, only a few places above qualification. Yet, even as he encountered imposing regional opponents from Yale University, Brown University and St. John's University, Mandel rattled off three wins to finish ninth and qualify for the championships.

Mandel faced his toughest test against St. John's senior saber Daryl Homer, who placed sixth at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and eventually went on to win the Northeast Regional.

"You have to realize that you can't fence the name, you have to fence the fencer," said Mandel. "You have to just fence smarter and play your game."

The name didn't matter. Mandel rallied to beat Homer 5-4 and claimed the final ninth qualification spot from the Northeast Regional meet.

Once Mandel reached the championships, it took him some time to settle in. After struggling to a 6-9 mark on the first day of competition, Mandel began the second day with a 1-3 record, which put him at 7-10 overall, good for 18th out of 24 competitors. With four matches left, Mandel needed both a rally and some luck to slide into an All-America spot.

Mandel got the break he needed, defeating his last four opponents, all of whom had seven or eight wins during the championships.

"The combination of my family, friends, and coaches led to the pinnacle moment ... of finally making it to an All-American," he said. "I really could not have done it without all of them."

For Mandel, it could not have come in more dramatic fashion.