DURHAM, N.C. -- Natalia Toby, Gabriel Watson, Shea Sanders and Amanda Cilley of the Fairleigh Dickinson women's fencing team competed in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional at Duke University on Saturday, highlighted by Toby's sixth place finish in epee.

RESULTS

The event totaled 36 competitors in each weapon from some of the top school in the area. The first three rounds of play featured four pools of six in which the bottom six were eliminated. The final round included one pool of 12 fencers that determined the winner.

Toby started off the day with a bang, finishing with a 5-0 record in the first round of play. At the conclusion of round two, she compiled a 7-3 cumulative record against her opponents. With a 4-1 record in round three and 11-4 record overall, Toby secured the second seed heading into the final round.

In the fourth and final round, Toby notched a 5-6 record, good enough for sixth in the region.

Although failing to qualify for an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships later this month, Toby will be placed in the at-large pool for the event. Participants will be selected by the NCAA Men's and Women's Fencing Committee and announced on Tuesday, March 10.

"We won't know for a few more days whether her result was good enough for a selection to the national championship," head coach Daniel Bass noted. "What I do know is that her performance over the course of her collegiate career has been historic. It had been an honor to serve as her coach, and I can't say enough about what a fighter she is and how well she has represented FDU on and off the fencing strip."

Toby compiled yet another impressive season throughout her senior campaign, compiling a total of 95 individual wins entering today.

"I'm incredibly proud of Natalia's result, her 6th place finish was hard fought and deserves every bit of her result," assistant coach Alex Delaney added. "She is unquestionably one the best fencers in her region, hopefully this gives her a berth into the 2020 NCAA championships."

While competing alongside Toby, junior Gabriel Watson concluded her season with a valiant effort in epee. Watson finished the season with 81 individual wins, including a season highlight coming in the Drew invitational where she recorded a 15-3 record on the day.

Juniors Shea Sanders and Amanda Cilley were each bested by their opponents in the opening round of play of foil, concluding an impressive season for each. Sanders' junior season was highlighted with 17 individual victories during the Vassar Invitational on November 10, capturing an additional 14 bouts in the following tournament on November 24. Cilley dominated in the latter half of the season, highlighted by an outstanding performance in the FDU Invitational where she logged an impressive 17-1 record.

"Having four members of our program at Regionals was a big step forward for our team this season," Bass concluded. "We have work to do to continue to move ourselves up in the event, but we are proud of our team for getting to this point and for their hard work all year."

The 2020 NCAA Fencing Championships will take place March 19-22 at the TCF Center in downtown Detroit, Mich.