March 23, 2004

FAIRFIELD, CT - Junior Lea Ferland (Tiverton, RI) was selected to participate in the 2004 National Collegiate Women's Fencing Championship at Brandeis University in Massachusetts from March 25-28. In doing so, Ferland becomes the first Sacred Heart University women's fencer to ever reach the Nationals.

Ferland, who will compete in women's foil, was selected from the Northeast region with other student-athletes from Yale, Harvard, Columbia and St. John's University.

Fencers will compete in a round-robin of 24 fencers in five-touch bouts. After the round robin, the top four fencers in each event will fence direct elimination 15-touch bouts for first, second, third and fourth place.

Competition in women's foil begins at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 25 at the Gosman Sports Center on the campus of Brandeis University in Waltham, MA.