NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- The Wayne State University women's fencing team had four student-athletes compete on the first day of the 2026 National Collegiate Fencing Championships on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.  After day one, the Green and Gold is 13th overall out of 20 programs.

WSU is the only school to participate in every NCAA Championship in fencing, this year being represented by Salma Abdrabou (Cairo, Egypt) and Reka Galfalvy (Budapest, Hungary) in women's epee, alongside Anabella Acurero Gonzalez (Valencia, Venezuela) and Ludovica Mancini (Rome, Lazio, Italy) in women's foil.

From 1982-1989, there were different championships for the men and women, with the women's side only having the foil weapon, until the epee was added in 1995.  The addition of women's sabre did not occur until 2000. 

In the span of separate championships (82-89), the Wayne State women captured a trio of team national titles in 1982, 1988, and 1989, with the 1982 championship being WSU's first women's national championship regardless of sport.  Wayne State won the women's portion in 1990, but not the overall national championship, as it was combined that season.  This year marks the first time since the 1989 campaign that their can be separate team national champions since 1989.

WOMEN'S EPEE
Abdrabou posted a 6-9 ledger, while having an even touch differential (56-56).  Of her nine setbacks, five were by one touch (5-4).  The junior enters the second day of competition in 17th place after besting Yeva Mazur (Duke), Allegra Cristofoletto (Penn State), Tanishka Padhye (Stanford), Maria Capellua (North Carolina), Katherine Chen (New York), and teammate Galfalvy.

Galfalvy collected a 2-13 record on the first day of competition, earning wins over Air Force's Christina Watrall and Browns's Ashley Luo.  She experienced five 5-4 falters After the first day, the junior is in 24th place.

WOMEN'S FOIL
Mancini concluded the first day of action in 17th place with a 5-10 record in the foil.  She bested Jia Chen of Yale, UC San Diego's Piper Randolph and Katherine Kim, Stanford's Arianna Cao, and WSU teammate Acurero Gonzalez.

Acurero Gonzalez earned wins over Yale's Jia Chen and Kristina Petrova, Melissa Kline of the Air Force Academy, Piper Randolph (UCSD), and Ariadna Tucker Alarcon of Notre Dame.  The Warrior is in 19th with a 5-10 ledger heading into day two.

UP NEXT
WSU's four competitors will return to action tomorrow, each slated to compete in eight more bouts.