POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Brandeis University senior saber fencer Lev BenAvram (Bethesda, Md. / Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School) and first-year foil fencer David Knizhnik (Bethesda, Md. / Aeon) , each reached the final round of the NCAA Fencing Northeast Regional championships at Vassar College today, as they look to qualify for the NCAA National Collegiate Championships at the University of Notre Dame.

BenAvram, a three-time NCAA qualifier and second-team All-Division All-American last season as a junior, entered the regionals as the seventh seed. He posted a 4-2 record in the opening round with wins over Columbia, Boston College, Vassar, and Sacred Heart to earn the fifth seed headed into the semifinals. In the semis, BenAvram went 5-1, defeating foes from Columbia, NYU, St. John's, Long Island University and BC, to claim the fifth seed in the finals. In the final 12, BenAvram went 5-6, with three of his six losses coming by a 5-4 score. His wins in the finals came against two opponents from Columbia, and one each from St. John's, NYU and Harvard, earning him a seventh-place finish. BenAvram is seeking to become the first Brandeis men's fencer to qualify for four NCAA Championships since 2009 and just the third male in program history to accomplish the feat.

Knizhnik entered the meet as the 11^th seed in the men's foil competition. He went 3-3 in the first round with wins over LIU, Sacred Heart and NYU, sneaking into the semifinals in 21^st place by a single touch. He improved vastly in the round of 21, going 5-1 with wins over Columbia, Harvard, NYU, MIT, and BC, to take the fifth seed into the final round. In the last 12, Knizhnik won four matches, defeating two Yale fencers, plus BC and MIT to finish in 10^th place, one spot ahead of his initial seed. With four Yale fencers ahead of him, only two of whom can reach the NCAA Championships, Knizhnik will have a chance to earn a spot at nationals when the field is announced on Tuesday.

Along with BenAvram and Knizhnik, the men's saber and foil squads put three other fencers in the semifinal round. In the saber, junior Matthew Chaves (Durham, N.C. / Durham Academy Upper School) was seeded 30^th entering the meet. By reaching the second round, Chaves improved by nine spots to finish in 21^st place and improve by nine spots. In foil action, junior Jackson Sullivan (Somerville, Mass. / Greater Commonwealth Virtual School) and senior Michael Yerokhin (Paramus, N.J. / Paramus) reached the second round. Sullivan was seeded 24^th and Yerokhin 32^nd entering the meet, but they both exceeded those seeds, as Sullivan placed 19^th and Yerokhin tied for 20^th.

Sophomore Luke Strauss (Boulder, Colo. / Boulder) led the men's epee squad in 32^nd place.

On the women's side, the Judges had two top-30 finishes. Senior Kat Xikes (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) placed 26^th overall in the saber, while classmate Hannah Du (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) was 27^th in the foil competition. First-year Chloe Chang (Hillsdale, N.J. / Pascack Valley) was the highest finisher in women's epee, placing 33^rd, 11 spots above her seed.