Jan. 25, 2008

QUEENS, N.Y. - Luther Clement, a standout senior in the sabre, came to St John's in 2005 as a transfer from Columbia University. Among his main reasons for transferring was the pursuit of an athletic scholarship. Last season, Clement finished with 37 victories and qualified for the NCAA Regional with a No. 4 seed. He later went on to earn All-America honors at the NCAA championships, where he took fifth place in the sabre. As one of five seniors on the team this season, Clement will look to lead the freshman back to the NCAA championships, where the Red Storm finished second last season.

As a very talented fencer, Clement has traveled to places like Chile, Tunisia, Seoul and Budapest for competitions. Originally from Praire Village, Kansas, he came to New York to train for a year before continuing his education at Columbia. As an English major with minors in both economics and Asian Studies, Clement would like to travel to China to teach English for a year after graduating from St. John's. Upon his return, he plans to pursue his master's degree in creative writing or journalism.

"Being a senior, I try to refocus my team and try to help them to ignore their nervous tendencies. In general, I try to get them to relax. They are all really talented, and they just need to let their abilities shine through," said Clement.

Also returning as seniors for the squad are Monika Golebiewski and Henry Kennard. Golebiewski earned the silver medal in the 2007 NCAA Championships, while Kennard finished sixth. Both competed in the foil and entered the NCAA Regional as No. 1 seeds.

At the NYU tournament this weekend, the Red Storm will match up against eight teams with impressive season accomplishments. Notre Dame is currently ranked third in the United States Fencing Coaches Association Poll. Columbia University is led by Kurt Getz and Jeff Spear who were top finishers at the North American Cup. Yale University's Andrew Holbrook and John Gurrieri finished 3-0 against Vassar last week, while Ben Hochberg of Stevens Tech earned 24th at the Olympic Trials in December. At the North American Cup, Kayley French finished fifth in the epee for Northwestern University. And Sam Roukas was recently named the University Athletic Association Men's Fencing Athlete of the Week as a sophomore for NYU.

The excitement on the strip will begin at 8 a.m. at the Jerome S. Coles Sports and Recreation Center located on the New York University Campus in New York City.