Since winning its last National Collegiate Men's and Women's Fencing Championships team title in 1994, Notre Dame has remained among the top contenders with five runner-up finishes and three third-place efforts. But March 22-23 at Air Force, the Fighting Irish finally snapped almost a decade of frustrating near-misses with the program's sixth NCAA title.

Notre Dame's 182-point total featured nearly identical contributions from its six men's fencers (89) and the six women's competitors (93). Defending champion Penn State was second with 179 points, followed by St. John's (New York) (171) and Ohio State (167).

Alicja Kryczalo and Andrea Ament were Notre Dame's leaders on the women's side. Both fencers won 19 of their 23 round-robin bouts in the foil weapon. Teams are awarded one point for each bout victory by their contestants.

Kryczalo went on to win the event for the second consecutive year, defeating Stanford's Iris Zimmermann, the 2001 champion, in the championship bout.

Michal Sobieraj was first in the men's épée round-robin competition for the Fighting Irish, going 20-3. He was edged in the championship bout, however, by Seth Kelsey of the host institution.

Ozren Debic added 18 points in the men's foil for Notre Dame.

Penn State's Nonpatat Panchan repeated as men's foil champion. He won 19 round-robin bouts, defeated Yale's Cory Werk in the semifinals and rallied from a 14-12 deficit in the title bout against Nitai Kfir of St. John's to win, 15-14.

The Nittany Lions' Katarzyna Trzopek defeated teammate Jessica Burke, 15-12, to capture the women's épée individual crown. Trzopek also was the round-robin leader with a 19-4 mark.

Penn State continued its string of finishing either first or second since the NCAA fencing championships began its men's and women's combined format in 1990.

Adam Crompton of Ohio State and Alexis Jemal of Rutgers also won titles. Crompton edged Ivan Lee of St. John's, 15-13, in the men's sabre final, after Lee went undefeated in round-robin play. Jemal became the Scarlet Knights' first champion with a 15-12 victory over Julia Gelman of St. John's in the women's sabre title bout.

TEAM RESULTS

1. Notre Dame, 182; 2. Penn St., 179; 3. St. John's (N.Y.), 171; 4. Ohio St., 167; 5. Columbia-Barnard, 113; 6. Princeton, 107; 7. Stanford, 85; 8. Harvard, 68; 9. (tie) Air Force and Rutgers, 61; 11. Pennsylvania, 56; 12. New York U., 46; 13. Temple, 44; 14. Yale, 42; 15. Northwestern, 38; 16. Cal St. Fullerton, 31; 17. Wayne St. (Mich.), 27; 18. Brown, 20; 19. (tie) Boston College and Tufts, 19; 21. (tie) Brandeis, Duke and MIT, 18; 24. Cornell, 15; 25. (tie) UC San Diego and Johns Hopkins, 10; 27. Haverford, 9; 28. Drew, 8; 29. North Carolina, 7; 30. N.J. Inst. of Tech., 5; 31. Fairleigh Dickinson, 2.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Men's sabre

Semifinals: Ivan Lee, St. John's (N.Y.), def. Alex Weber, Penn St., 15-4; Adam Crompton, Ohio St., def. Jason Rogers, Ohio St., 15-12.

Third place: Rogers def. Weber, 15-8.

Championship: Crompton def. Lee, 15-13.

Round-robin standings: 1. Ivan Lee, St. John's (N.Y.), 23-0; 2. Jason Rogers, Ohio St., 20-3; 3. Adam Crompton, Ohio St., 19-4; 4. Alex Weber, Penn St., 19-4; 5. Serhiy Isayenko, St. John's (N.Y.), 17-6; 6. Matthew Fabricant, Notre Dame, 15-8; 7. Timothy Hagamen, Harvard, 15-8; 8. Marten Zagunis, Penn St., 15-8; 9. David Jakus, Harvard, 15-8; 10. Robert Owens, Stanford, 14-9; 11. Gabor Szelle, Notre Dame, 12-11; 12. Paul Reyfman, Columbia, 11-12; 13. Andrew Sohn, Columbia, 10-13; 14. Andrew Magee, New York U., 9-14; 15. Chris Flanders, Haverford, 9-14; 16. Paul Friedman, Brown, 8-15; 17. Richard Frank, Drew, 8-15; 18. Jeremy Runyan, UC San Diego, 8-15; 19. Daniel Mazor, Rutgers, 7-16; 20. Wesley Newkirk, North Carolina, 7-16; 21. Jon Pearlstein, Stanford, 5-18; 22. Phil Dolata, N.J. Inst. of Tech., 5-18; 23. Benjamin Cohen, Duke, 4-19; 24. Marc Mathias, Wayne St. (Mich.), 1-23.

Men's foil

Semifinals: Nitai Kfir, St. John's (N.Y.), def. Ozren Debic, Notre Dame, 15-11; Nonpatat Panchan, Penn St., def. Cory Werk, Yale, 15-7.

Third place: Werk def. Debic, 15-4.

Championship: Panchan def. Kfir, 15-14.

Round-robin standings: 1. Nitai Kfir, St. John's (N.Y.), 19-4; 2. Nonpatat Panchan, Penn St., 19-4; 3. Cory Werk, Yale, 18-5; 4. Ozren Debic, Notre Dame, 18-5; 5. Derek Snyder, Notre Dame, 17-6; 6. Yale Cohen, Pennsylvania, 16-7; 7. Gabriel Sinkin, New York U., 15-8; 8. Nico Jaspers, Columbia, 15-8; 9. Steve Gerberman, Stanford, 15-8; 10. Jeremy Sinkin, Columbia, 15-8; 11. Florian Reichling, Stanford, 14-9; 12. Roland Breden, Cal St. Fullerton, 11-12; 13. Chris Miller, Penn St., 11-12; 14. Andrew Radu, Pennsylvania, 10-13; 15. Brian Sohn, Boston College, 8-15; 16. Michael Pasinkoff, New York U., 7-16; 17. Ronald Brooks, Rutgers, 7-16; 18. Eric Stodola, Princeton, 7-16; 19. (tie) Jesse Schibilia, Rutgers, and Nathan Weir, Ohio St., 7-16; 21. James McBean, Brandeis, 6-17; 22. Matt Carbone, Ohio St., 6-17; 23. Jon Jew-Lim, Princeton, 5-18; 24. Paul Taylor, Boston College, 3-20.

Men's épée

Semifinals: Michal Sobieraj, Notre Dame, def. Adam Wiercioch, Penn St., 15-12; Seth Kelsey, Air Force, def. Anton Gurevich, St. John's (N.Y.), 15-6.

Third place: Wiercioch def. Gurevich, 15-5.

Championship: Kelsey def. Sobieraj, 8-7.

Round-robin standings: 1. Michal Sobieraj, Notre Dame, 20-3; 2. Anton Gurevich, St. John's (N.Y.), 20-3; 3. Seth Kelsey, Air Force, 19-4; 4. Adam Wiercioch, Penn St., 18-5; 5. Benjamin Solomon, Princeton, 16-7; 6. Árpád Horváth, St. John's (N.Y.), 15-8; 7. Julian Rose, Harvard, 14-9; 8. Timothy French, Air Force, 13-10; 9. Matthew McConaughy, Cal St. Fullerton, 13-10; 10. Jan Viviani, Notre Dame, 12-11; 11. Brian Gross, Ohio St., 12-11; 12. Soren Thompson, Princeton, 12-11; 13. Brian Garrett, Rutgers, 11-12; 14. Matthew Bouloubasis, Johns Hopkins, 10-13; 15. Spencer Jones, Ohio St., 10-13; 16. Michael Sanders, Pennsylvania, 9-14; 17. William Verigan, Columbia, 8-15; 18. Nicolas Testerman, Duke, 8-15; 19. Michael Dreyfus, Columbia, 7-16; 20. Nathan Bragg, Duke, 6-17; 21. Martin Lee, Stanford, 6-17; 22. Alexander Tsinis, New York U., 6-17; 23. Matt Galvin, New York U., 6-17; 24. Samuel Korb, MIT, 5-18.

Women's sabre

Semifinals: Alexis Jemal, Rutgers, def. Louise Bond-Williams, Ohio St., 15-10; Julia Gelman, St. John's (N.Y.), def. Heather Brosnan, Penn St., 15-13.

Third place: Brosnan def. Bond-Williams, 15-12.

Championship: Jemal def. Gelman, 15-12.

Round-robin standings: 1. Louise Bond-Williams, Ohio St., 22-1; 2. Heather Brosnan, Penn St., 20-3; 3. Julia Gelman, St. John's (N.Y.), 19-4; 4. Alexis Jemal, Rutgers, 18-5; 5. Emma Baratta, Columbia-Barnard, 16-7; 6. Destanie Milo, Notre Dame, 16-7; 7. Sakinah Shaahid, Temple, 14-9; 8. Christina Crane, St. John's (N.Y.), 14-9; 9. Austin O'Neill, Penn St., 14-9; 10. Tracy Marien, Brandeis, 12-11; 11. Aziza Hassan, Temple, 12-11; 12. Sophie Jones, Yale, 12-11; 13. Catherine Pack, Princeton, 10-13; 14. Kasara Williams, Tufts, 10-13; 15. Andrea Rix, Air Force, 9-14; 16. Marguerite Plekhanov, Ohio St., 9-14; 17. Katherine Zouein, Tufts, 9-14; 18. Kate Zimmerly, Pennsylvania, 8-15; 19. Christian Robinson, Columbia-Barnard, 8-15; 20. Emily Pasternak, Northwestern, 7-16; 21. Maggie Jordan, Notre Dame, 6-17; 22. Joanna Szklarska, Rutgers, 5-18; 23. Marisa Romero, Air Force, 4-19; 24. Cathleen Ferris, Fairleigh Dickinson, 2-21.

Women's foil

Semifinals: Alicja Kryczalo, Notre Dame, def. Irina Khouade, St. John's (N.Y.), 15-6; Iris Zimmermann, Stanford, def. Andrea Ament, Notre Dame, 15-7.

Third place: Ament def. Khouade, 15-10.

Championship: Kryczalo def. Zimmermann, 15-13.

Round-robin standings: 1. Irina Khouade, St. John's (N.Y.), 20-3; 2. Iris Zimmermann, Stanford, 19-4; 3. Andrea Ament, Notre Dame, 19-4; 4. Alicja Kryczalo, Notre Dame, 19-4; 5. Metta Thompson, Ohio St., 18-5; 6. Anna Donath, Penn St., 18-5; 7. Jacqueline Leahy, Princeton, 17-6; 8. Hannah Thompson, Ohio St., 16-7; 9. Mindy Rostal, Princeton, 15-8; 10. Julia Földi, Northwestern, 15-8; 11. Inga Wallrabenstein, Wayne St. (Mich.), 13-10; 12. Chloe Stinetorf, Harvard, 13-10; 13. Eva Petschnigg, Stanford, 12-11; 14. Anne Austin, Harvard, 11-12; 15. Meredith Chin, Penn St., 10-13; 16. Elizabeth Thottam, St. John's (N.Y.), 7-16; 17. Senta Breden, Cal St. Fullerton, 7-16; 18. Jenna Remmert, Temple, 5-18; 19. Ellen Blount, Columbia-Barnard, 5-18; 20. Christina Wang, Northwestern, 5-18; 21. Susannah Dorfman, MIT, 4-19; 22. Kristen Wentrcek, New York U., 3-20; 23. Jeanne Browne, Temple, 3-20; 24. Justine Aw, Yale, 2-21.

Women's épée

Semifinals: Katarzyna Trzopek, Penn St., def. Alexandra Shklar, Ohio St., 15-12; Jessica Burke, Penn St., def. Arlene Stevens, St. John's (N.Y.), 15-7.

Third place: Shklar def. Stevens, 15-12.

Championship: Trzopek def. Burke, 15-12.

Round-robin standings: 1. Katarzyna Trzopek, Penn St., 19-4; 2. Arlene Stevens, St. John's (N.Y.), 17-6; 3. Jessica Burke, Penn St., 16-7; 4. Alexandra Shklar, Ohio St., 16-7; 5. Kerry Walton, Notre Dame, 15-8; 6. Meghan Phair, Cornell, 15-8; 7. Eleanor Leighton, Princeton, 14-9; 8. Anna Vinnikov, Wayne St. (Mich.), 13-10; 9. Jean Goto, Pennsylvania, 13-10; 10. Meagan Call, Notre Dame, 13-10; 11. Sherice Gearhart, Ohio St., 12-11; 12. Ruth Schneider, Brown, 12-11; 13. Monica Conley, Columbia-Barnard, 12-11; 14. Sharon Sullivan, Northwestern, 11-12; 15. Kira Hohensee, Princeton, 11-12; 16. Sara Forsythe, Temple, 10-13; 17. Erica Korb, Yale, 10-13; 18. Elia Burill, Air Force, 9-14; 19. Lucy Mendel, MIT, 9-14; 20. Tiffany White, Boston College, 8-15; 21. Caitlin Harris, Air Force, 7-16; 22. Kimberly Bush, Columbia-Barnard, 6-17; 23. Rebecca Kehoe, Rutgers, 6-17; 24. Lauren Muir, UC San Diego, 2-21.