Intercollegiate Fencing Association
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The Intercollegiate Fencing Association or IFA is the oldest collegiate fencing conference in the United States. It is affiliated with the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
[edit] Membership
The IFA has 12 members. Cornell only competes in women's fencing; the remaining 11 teams participate with men's and women's teams.
- Boston College
- Brandeis University
- Brown University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Harvard University
- M.I.T.
- New York University
- Princeton University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Vassar College
- Yale University
Seven of the members of the IFA are also members of the Ivy League, and all of the Ivy universities with Division I fencing programs are also members of the IFA. Dartmouth College does not have an intercollegiate fencing program.
[edit] IFA Championship Tournament
The 2007 IFA Championship tournament was hosted by Princeton University on Saturday March 3, 2007. Because no suitable venue at Princeton was available, the tournament was held nearby at the Lawrenceville Academy.
There are 9 trophies given to teams at the annual IFA Championships in the following categories:
- Men's Foil
- Men's Épée
- Men's Saber
- Women's Foil
- Women's Épée
- Women's Saber
- Men's 3-Weapon Team
- Women's 3-Weapon Team
- Men's and Women's 6-Weapon Team
Among these awards, the most prestigious is the trophy given to the Men's Foil team champion, currently the University of Pennsylvania. This trophy is known as the Little Iron Man and is the oldest trophy still awarded for any collegiate sport in the United States. It was cast in 1893 and has been awarded to the IFA Men's Foil team champion since 1896.