Zoein sisters qualify for Nationals

The Tufts' women's fencing team has an undermanned roster and receives little recognition both on-campus and on the national collegiate scene. But that didn't stop the Jumbos from sending two fencers to the NCAA National Championships.

Following strong showings at last weekend's NCAA Regional Championships at Columbia University, sophomore Kat and freshman sister Louisa May Zouein will advance to Nationals, to be held at nearby Brandeis University in two weeks. Kat placed fifth overall and Louisa May was seventh out of a field of approximately 35 sabrists.

While Tufts sent two athletes to Nationals as recently as last year, when Kat Zouein and then-senior Kasara Williams qualified, this year is unprecedented in how young the Jumbo contingent will be-- a fact that bodes extremely well for the program's future.

"As a young team, we're going to get better, and it will definitely be fun to watch," sophomore Julia Shih said.

The Brown and Blue contingent at Regionals included representatives from all but one class, which is another promising sign of the team's future potential. Simply qualifying for the regional competition is difficult, but six Jumbos made the cut, including first-year fencer, freshman Katie Mueller, an epeeist. Senior co-captain Talia Alexander also qualified in the epee, senior co-captain Christina Zahara and Shih in the foil, and the Zouein sisters in the sabre.

No one had an easy weekend, as regional competition is of a level considerably higher than the typical regular-season meet.

"All in all, it's a tough day not only because it's long, but also because these are the best fencers in the region," Zahara said. "It's not like other competitions where there's more of a mix. You have to be on from the start; otherwise you're screwed and don't move up."

At Columbia, athletes fenced in pools to determine who would graduate to the second round and who would be eliminated. For Tufts, only the Zoueins and Shih advanced.

"This is the most stressful event of the year for fencers," coach Jason Sachs said. "As you get closer and closer to your goal, the pressure wears you down more and more."

He said that maintaining concentration amid the pressure is one of the greatest challenges of the regional meet.

"If you lose your concentration or give in to your emotions, you are done for, not just for the day, but for the season," Sachs said. "There is no team to hide behind, just a person who is out there trying to beat you and go on. You have to control yourself, understand and beat your opponent at the same time."

Sachs said that the stress of a day at Regionals, "ages a coach by at least two years," but he was pleased with his team's results.

"I am so impressed [by] these girls' ability to persevere through obvious difficulty," he said.

Shih was eliminated after the second pool, finishing 20th overall. Last year, she didn't make it out of the first round, so she was excited to meet her personal goal of advancing this year.

"This tournament has the best of our region, so I knew I was going to have a very difficult day," Shih said. "I was really happy that I [made it out of the first round]. It was a nice end to the season."

NCAA qualifications are based on a combination of factors, with 40 percent of the scoring derived from regular-season victories against strong opponents, and the other 60 percent from the athlete's performance at Regionals.

Both Zoueins entered Regionals with strong rankings based upon regular-season success against some top-notch schools. For instance, winning just one of three bouts against a strong opponent from St. John's helps an athlete's ranking far more than going three-for-three against a lesser opponent such as Wellesley.

According to Sachs, many of Tufts' opponents this winter were chosen in order to provide the Zouein sisters with high-level competition to bolster their NCAA rankings.

"This year's schedule was designed for their qualification path," Sachs said. "The team had to fence some extremely hard schools to get Kat and Louisa their rankings going into regional qualifiers. So they have their teammates to thank for their rankings."

Louisa May Zouein had some close calls on her way to securing a berth at Nationals, and according to her sister, "just about gave the whole team a heart attack."

Sachs explained that when 15 remaining sabrists were cut down to ten for the finals, Louisa May had the same number of wins and losses (1-3) as two other fencers.

"In football, it's a game of inches, [but] in fencing, it's indicators. Indicators are based on hits scored and hits received," Sachs explained. "Louisa made it into the last round by an 'inch.'"

In other words, over the course of her bouts, Louisa May had scored just one more hit than the athletes she was tied with, and therefore advanced, while the other fencers were eliminated.

"She went up and the other two did not," Sachs said. "She will be at Nationals and they will not be, simple as that. The entire year -- all the hours [and] years of work -- came down to one touch."