EVANSTON, Ill. - Haverford first-year epeeist Eric Chen (Ellicott City, Md.) and sophomore foilist Michael Pyo (Morristown, N.J) have each earned honorable mention Division III All-America recognition from the United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA), the organization announced in a release on Wednesday. The USFCA All-America awards, which first were handed out in 2020, are determined by an evaluation of their regular season performance and postseason performance, including both NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships.
The USFCA recognizes National Collegiate All-Americans for outstanding performances at NCAA Championships. The top-12 finishers in each event, regardless of Division, are recognized based on their final placement at the competition.
In addition, the USFCA recognizes the top Division III fencers in the country with Division III All-American awards. The recipients of these awards are determined by an evaluation of their regular season performance and postseason performance, including both NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships.
Chen and Pyo are the first All-America honorees from Haverford since Andrew Bostick, Remy Olson, James Nieuwland, and Dan Drebing were all named to the honor by virtue of a third-place finish at the National Weapon Squad Championships after the 2011 season. Haverford's other All-America finisher came from Roger Jones in 1953. Pyo previously earned a spot on the USFCA Division III All-Region team for his outstanding performance at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional, as he claimed the 24th position in a 42 competitor field made up of fencers largely from Division I schools. Pyo also helped anchor the foil squad that finished as silver medalists at the MACFA Championships on March 5. Pyo won a direct elimination bout during that tournament and qualified for the final eight before a loss to Kevin Katayama of NJIT.
Chen was a standout for the épée squad in his first year on campus, as he advanced to the individual rounds at the MACFA Championships, placing ninth overall after winning 10 out of 14 bouts during the team portion. At the NCAA Regional Championships, Chen advanced to the second round, ultimately tying for 27th place overall. During regular season action at the Sollee Invitational at Brandeis, Chen went a Haverford-best 12-3.