UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. ? The UC San Diego fencing team concluded the 2009 National Collegiate Fencing Championships on Sunday, finishing 17th with 30 total points during the four-day competition at Penn State's Ashenfelter Multi-Sport Facility. The Nittany Lions finished the event atop the stacked competition, winning their 11th national championship. The Tritons finished ahead of such schools as Brandeis, Cornell, Brown, and UNC and just behind the U.S. Air Force Academy and NYU. Pilar Alicea and Alicia Trigeiro competed for the UCSD women on the final day, with Alicea competing in women's foil and Trigeiro representing the Tritons in the women's saber division.

Alicea added three victories on Sunday, combining with her eight wins on Saturday to give her 11 for the event and a 12th place finish overall. Alicea, who recorded 80 total touches in the event, took home All-American honors by virtue of her 12th place finish. Penn State's Doris Willette benefited from home-court advantage, earning the National Championship in the women's foil field. Trigeiro finished with one win, 48 touches, and a 24th place finish in saber, which was won by Duke's Rebecca Ward.

Also competing at Nationals, Benjamin Dorn earned All-American status, recording a team-best 13 wins, 85 touches, and a ninth place finish in men's foil. Freshman Michael Fong also took part in foil, finishing with three wins and 60 touches. Jonathan Ott represented the Tritons in men's saber, winning twice with 44 touches.

With only two graduating seniors from this year's squad, UCSD fencing, under the guidance of head coach Heidi Runyan, looks to build upon their success from the 2008-09 season and put together an even more impressive showing during the 2010 NCAA National Championships. Highlights of the National Collegiate Men's and Women's Fencing Championship will be shown on CBS at 10:00 a.m. pacific on Saturday, May 2.