Dates and site: The championships will be March 21-24 at Drew.

Field: A maximum of 144 fencers will compete in the championship, 24 in each of the six weapons (men's epee, men's foil, men's sabre, women's epee, women's foil, women's sabre). No more than two fencers in each weapon will be selected from one institution.

Selection date: March 14.

2001 team champion: St. John's (New York).

Top team contenders: Columbia-Barnard, Notre Dame, Penn State, Princeton, St. John's (New York), Stanford.

Top men's individual contenders: Ozren Debic, Notre Dame; Joseph Fisher, St. John's (New York); Ivan Lee, St. John's (New York); Nonpatat Panchan, Penn Stata; Felix Reichling, Stanford; Paolo Roselli, Columbia; Soren Thompson, Princeton; Jan Viviani, Notre Dame; Adam Wiercioch, Penn State.

Top women's individual contenders: Meagan Call, Notre Dame; Monica Conley, Columbia-Barnard; Stephanie Eim, Penn State; Marta Grochal, Penn State; Maya Lawrence, Princeton; Arlene Stevens, St. John's (New York); Iris Zimmerman, Stanford.

Notre Dame has finished out of the top five just one time in the 12 years since fencing became a combined men's and women's championships sport.