Women's Fencing | 3/26/2016 11:41:00 AM

BOSTON—NJIT sophomore Julia Garcia is the recipient of the 2016 Elite 90 award for NCAA Division I Women's Fencing announced on Friday night at the 2016 NCAA Fencing Championship banquet held at Marriott Boston Newtown.

Garcia, from Madrid, Spain, is a business major who carries a 4.0 grade point average for the fourth straight semester.  With 52 credits earned, the sophomore earns the top academic achievement out of 144 participants competing at the NCAA Fencing Championships.

The ELITE 90, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 90 championships.

In women's epee competition at the championships, Garica finished 19^th.  Last season, Garcia became the first female fencer and newest NJIT All-American, to compete in the National Championship, earning a second-place finish.

This season, Garcia placed first in the women's epee competition at the 2016 NCAA Regionals, receiving a bye in the first round and went 5-0 in the second.  She tallied a 3-2 mark and 8-2 overall record in the final round, giving the sophomore a first-place finish.

At the FDU Invitational, Garcia recorded a 13-4, record while posting an impressive14-3 mark at the DeCuccio Duals hosted by Norte Dame (January 16).  She guided the Highlander epee squad to wins over Haverford (5-4), MIT (6-3) Stevens (5-4) and Brown (6-3).  The sophomore went undefeated against MIT and Brown while going 2-1 against Brandeis and Boston College.

Teammate Jule Shigihara, also competing at the championships on the foil strip, placed 16^th.   Shigihara, from Bonn, Germany, finished third in the women's foil at the NCAA Regionals

She captured the Regional Open Circuit (ROC) Division 1A title, becoming the second NJIT athlete to win at a Regional Open Circuit.  She finished with a 15-3 overall at the Eric Sollee Invitational, leading the foil team to a 6-3 victory over Haverford.  She defeated Haverford, MIT and Stevens 3-0, and Brandeis, Brown and Boston College 2-.

Shigihara was named to the CollegeFencing360.com Primetime Performers Honor Roll (January 22), for her performance at the DeCicco Duals hosted by Norte Dame on January 16.  She lost only one of her 16 bouts in the foil strip and recorded a 68-25 edge in total touches and her only loss came from All-American Zuzanna Sobczak from Wayne State.

Shigihara swept all her bouts against the top-ranked host Notre Dame, and yielded only two touches against both Lawrence and Detriot Mercy, with whom she went 3-0 against.