UC San Diego’s Kim Shines with 13th Place Finish at Junior World Cup!

ZAGREB, Croatia — Katherine Kim made an impressive return to the international fencing scene at the FIE Junior World Cup last weekend. The Triton freshman secured 13th place out of 224 fencers, showing her skill and determination. This follows her solid performance in Georgia, where she finished 10th on January 19.

The FIE hosts several World Cups each year, which help athletes improve their world rankings and earn spots in the World Championships. In this event, Kim performed well in the preliminary rounds. She won five out of six matches and advanced directly to the knockout stage. There, she triumphed in three consecutive bouts, decisively winning with a combined score of 45-16. However, she faced a tough challenge in the Table of 16, losing to Italy’s Matilde Molinari, the top-ranked junior women’s foilist, with a score of 9-15.

Katherine hails from Tustin, California, and she is currently studying human biology at Sixth College. Her fencing journey with the Tritons began last September at the BladeRunner tournament, where she earned a third-place finish. Later, in November, she achieved a 19-7 record at the West Invitational, contributing to the UC San Diego women’s team’s strong performance with a 6-3 overall record.

UC San Diego Athletics has a rich history, having transitioned from NCAA Division II to The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I in 2020. The Tritons, across 23 sports, have claimed 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships. The program has a strong commitment to academics as well, with an impressive 91% graduation rate among scholar-athletes. Many Tritons have also received recognition for their academic achievements, including 84 Academic All-America honors and 38 NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.

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