WALTHAM, Mass. – For the second year in a row, three members of the Brandeis University sabre squad have been selected to compete at the NCAA National Collegiate Fencing Championships. Senior Maggie Shealy of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and junior Tony Escueta of Grand Prairie, Texas, will compete at nationals for the third year in a row, while sophomore Lev BenAvram of Bethesda, Maryland, was selected for a second year in row.

Shealy is already a three-time All-American who was named the Women's Co-Sabre Fencer of Year in 2023. She qualified for NCAAs as a first-year at Brandeis in 2020 before the tournament was canceled, and Brandeis did not participate in the 2021 season. She finished in eighth place as a junior in 2022 and as a senior, she finished atop the standing of the round robin, finishing in a tie for third after the direct elimination. Shealy earned the bronze medal at this year's NCAA Northeast Regional Championship to book her spot at nationals.

Escueta is also making his third trip to the NCAA Championships. He finished in 22^nd place as a first-year in 2021, then improved to 12^th place as a sophomore, earning himself All-Division All-America honors and Division III Men's Sabre Fencer of the Year recognition. Escueta also finished with a bronze medal at the NCAA Northeast Regionals over the weekend. He edged teammate BenAvram by one place – both fencers finished with seven wins in the final round, with Escueta registering a +8 indicator compared to BenAvram's +4.  

BenAvram, who finished 16^th at the NCAAs in his first trip last year and was named the National Collegiate Sabre Newcomer of the Year, has chosen not to compete at the NCAAs this year. Instead, he will be competing at an international World Cup event in Budapest, Hungary, with the hopes of qualifying for the US Men's National Team and competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics. BenAvram is currently ranked eighth in the US and needs to be among the top four in the country to qualify for the Olympics.

The 2024 NCAA National Collegiate Championships will be held in Columbus, Ohio, at the Ohio State University on March 21-24. The women's competition will take place over the first two days, followed by the men.