USFCA All-America | USFCA All-Region

MADISON, N.J. – Junior Caira Blake and sophomore Amira Mutakabbir of the Drew University women's fencing team have captured both all-America and all-region honors from the United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA).
 
Blake and Mutakabbir, who both compete in epee, captured a pair of very selective awards. They were two of just nine epeeists who captured Division III All-America honors, as they both earned honorable mention recognition. They were also the only two epeeists selected to the All-Mid-Atlantic South Region Division III Team.
 
Blake earned her second career All-America honor, as she was also a Division III selection following her freshman campaign in 2021. In addition, she also picked up Division III All-Region honors a year ago.
 
This past season, she posted a 49-22 record and turned in a 24th-place finiah at the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic/South Region Championships, where she advanced out of the first round after starting 3-2 with wins over fencers from Temple, Wagner, and Johns Hopkins. Blake also qualified for the individual finals at the National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association (NIWFA) Championships and placed ninth overall while helping the Rangers to a sixth-place finish in a field of 16. In addition, she placed 9-3 at the Eastern Women's Fencing Conference (EWFC) Championships, where she helped lead Drew to a second-place showing among 10 teams and the epee squad to the team title.
 
Mutakabbir, last year's USFCA Division III Epee Athlete of the Year, finished 50-23 this year and turned in Drew's top finish at the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic South Region Championships. She advanced to the third round before placing 16th, marking the top regional finish a Drew women's fencer since Katie Galpin took 14th in 2009.  She wrapped up the day with six victories, including wins over opponents from Johns Hopkins, North Carolina, and Stevens, NJIT, Princeton, and Penn State.
 
Mutakabbir also contributed to the team's strong showing at the EWFC Championships, where she also posted a 9-3 mark. She also went 9-6 at the LIU Invitational, 13-2 at the Drew Fall Invitational Part I, and 10-4 at the Northeast Fencing Conference (NFC) Meet #2.
           
For the season, the Rangers posted a dual-match record of 29-22.