Fencing Honors Three Seniors at Sunday's Temple Invitational

Sunday, February 26

McGonigle Hall

9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Temple University

Temple Invitational (Penn State, St. John's, Brown, Princeton, Penn, Stevens)

Photo by: Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University

Fencing Honors Three Seniors at Sunday's Temple Invitational

2.23.17 | Women's Fencing

Tournament Central Watch Live Meet Info & Results Meet Program

PHILADELPHIA - Having already set a program record with 30 wins this season, the seventh-ranked Temple fencing team looks to add a few more when the Owls host their annual Temple Invitational, set for Sunday, Feb. 26 at McGonigle Hall. The event also marks Senior Day for the Owls, who will honor seniors Alexandra Keft, Kristen Kemnitzer and Victoria Suber.

The action begins at 9:30 a.m., with the Senior Day ceremony set for 9:15 a.m. Temple will fence in all five rounds, facing #1 Princeton, Brown, #4 Penn, #5 Penn State and St. John's. OwlsTV will carry live action of Temple's matches all day long HERE, and live results will be updated throughout the day HERE.

While fans are encouraged to attend (for free) all day, the Owls are highlighting their match against #5 Penn State which is set for 2:30 p.m.

"This is a great way for our seniors to finish up their dual meet season," said Temple head coach Dr. Nikki Franke. "Being at home, having their families and friends here, having the student support, which is so important especially with a meet that's this strong. We're going to be fencing three of the top five teams in the country. So it's a chance for us to really show how much we've grown this year.

"For our seniors, it's always bittersweet. It's a very emotional day for them so it will be important that they keep those emotions in check and just go out and fence strong and perform they way they're capable of. Every year it's a special group because every group is different. These three ladies have been our leaders this year and I think everyone looks up to them and respects them. We all want them to have a great day."

The Stevens men's team will serve as the counterpart to Temple's women's team. All other schools will have both men's and women's teams competing at the meet.

By going a perfect 5-0 at the recent FDU Invitational on Feb. 11, Temple surpassed the previous program record of 28 wins set in 2013 and is now 30-8 for the season. Much of the Owls' success is due to their tremendous, record-setting performance at the highly-competitive Northwestern Duals in early February, where Temple went 11-1 over two days and defeating two ranked teams in the process.

Among Sunday's five opponents, the Owls have faced just two of them already this season. They lost 19-8 against then-#6 Penn on Jan. 21, and suffered a one-point, 14-13 loss to nationally ranked Penn State on Jan. 15 at the Nittany Lions' home meet.

Alexandra Keft
The overall team captain this season as well as the epee squad leader, Alex has been one of the team's strongest performers since arriving at Temple in 2013. Heading into Saturday's meet, Alex has a career record of 137-94 and is 26-20 so far this season. She has been a finalist and placed in the top 10 in each year of her career at the NCAA Regional meet, recording her highest-ever finish of seventh place as a junior in 2016. She was also named to the 2016 NIWFA Second Team after placing fourth in epee for the Owls. Alex is a kinesiology major with a concentration in pre-health professions, and has been named to Temple's Athletic Director's Honor Roll in each of her three years so far for having a GPA of 3.0 or above.

Kristen Kemnitzer
This year's foil squad leader, Kristen has shown a tremendous amount of dedication not only to Temple fencing, but to the athletic department as a whole in her time with the Owls. Active in the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, Kristen was chosen last summer as one of three Owls to represent Temple at the NCAA Career in Sports Forum. Heading into Saturday's meet, Kristen has an overall record of 114-71, and has already recorded 40 wins this season. Kristen won key bouts for Temple to seal victories over both Northwestern and North Carolina at this year's Northwestern Duals, and placed 11th in foil at the 2016 Temple Open. A sport and recreation management major, Kristen has achieved a GPA of 3.5 or above for the past two years and has been named to Temple's President's Honor Roll.

Victoria Suber
This year's sabre squad leader, Victoria heads into Saturday's meet with an overall record of 123-70 and a season mark of 28-19. She has been a consistent performer throughout her time at Temple, fencing in an impressive number of bouts. She recently finished 9-1 for the Owls in a 5-0 day at the FDU Invitational, and went 7-2 on the second day of the Northwestern Duals in early February. As a sophomore, Victoria earned a spot as a finalist at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional, and placed 12th overall. A civil engineering major, Victoria has been named to Temple's Athletic Director's Honor Roll in each year of her career for posting a GPA of 3.0 or above.

Temple Invitational Schedule

9:30 a.m. - Women's
Temple vs. Princeton
Penn vs. Penn State

9:30 a.m. - Men's
Stevens vs. Princeton
Penn vs. Penn State

11:00 a.m. - Women's
Temple vs. Brown
Princeton vs. Penn State
Penn vs. St. John's

11:00 a.m. - Men's
Stevens vs. Brown
Princeton vs. Penn State
Penn vs. St. John's

12:30 Lunch

1:00 p.m. - Women's
Temple vs. Penn
Penn State vs. St. John's
Princeton vs. Brown

1:00 p.m. - Men's
Stevens vs. Penn
Penn State vs. St. John's
Princeton vs. Brown

2:30 p.m. - Women's
Temple vs. Penn State
Penn vs. Brown
St. John's vs. Princeton

2:30 p.m. - Men's
Stevens vs. Penn State
Penn vs. Brown
St. John's vs. Princeton

4:00 p.m. - Women's
Temple vs. St. John's
Penn State vs. Brown
Penn vs. Princeton

4:00 p.m. - Men's
Stevens vs. St. John's
Penn State vs. Brown
Penn vs. Princeton