Feb. 28, 2008

QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's fencing team will compete against 17 teams at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship hosted by Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on Sunday. The Red Storm will earn the right to take its best fencers from each weapon to the NCAA Championship depending on their Regional performances.

The Red Storm men are ranked No. 4 according to the United States Fencing Coaches Poll and the women are No. 7. The St. John's fencing team enters its 13th season under the direction of head coach Yury Gelman. During his time at St. John's, his teams have finished sixth place or better at the NCAA Championships.

Gelman's men's teams have recorded a 128-7 record in 12 seasons, including a 17-2 record in 2007. The men have posted two perfect seasons under him, going 14-0 in 1999-2000 and 12-0 in 2003-04. The women's team has been equally strong under Gelman, posting a 110-50 record, including a 13-1 mark in 2002-03, its best ever under Gelman.

Gelman is aided by his two assistant coaches, Mikhail Shimshovich and Boris Vaksman. Shimshovich, who is in his 12th season as an assistant coach, is a five-time gold medalist in the Ukrainian Senior National Championships and a former member of the U.S.S.R. National Team. Vaksman is in his second season with the Red Storm. He is a four-time national epee champion and four-time Soviet Union Champion.

The Red Storm had five NCAA qualifiers during the 2006-07 season. Luther Clement, a senior this year, qualified for the sabre as the No. 4 seed in Regionals and took fifth place in the 2007 NCAA Championships. Monika Golebiewski, a senior captain, headed into the NCAA Regionals as the No. 1 seed in women's foil. She took home the silver medal in the 2007 NCAA Championships. Tanya Novakovska, a sophomore, was the No. 1 seed in the 2007 NCAA Regionals in the epee, finishing in the top five for the Red Storm in the finals. Henry Kennard, a senior from Boston, Mass., was No. 1 seed in the 2007 Regionals and took sixth in the NCAA Championships. A junior from Woodmere, N.Y., Stan Vaksman also led the Red Storm as the No. 1 seed in the 2007 Regionals. He placed seventh in championship play.

The Red Storm fencing teams return to action March 13-16 at the NCAA Championships held at Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.

For the most up-to-date information and statistics on St. John's fencing please visit www.RedStormSports.com or call our hotline at 1-888-GO-STORM.