From Friday, June 30 to Sunday, July 9, more than 5,300 fencers from 43 different states — ages 7 to 85 — will gather inside the Phoenix Convention Center for the 2023 USA Fencing National Championships and July Challenge.

From 7-year-olds attending their first national tournament to a fencer from San Diego still lunging for medals at age 85, there’s nothing quite like the Summer Nationals fencing tournament.

This signature tournament features nearly nonstop fencing action, with 96 events (and 96 medal ceremonies) taking place over 10 days. Medals — and national championships — will be on the line in every USA Fencing classification, from the youngest (Y10) to the most seasoned veterans (Vet 80) and everyone in between.

Officially known as the 2023 USA Fencing National Championships and July Challenge, most in the fencing community refer to this beloved tournament simply as Summer Nationals.

And this year's Summer Nationals is projected to be among the largest in USA Fencing history. After more than 4,500 athletes competed at the 2022 Summer Nationals in Minneapolis, this year’s edition is 18% larger. The competition in Phoenix welcomes 5,369 athletes from 43 different states, plus the District of Columbia.

Such a large number of competitors means Summer Nationals isn't just the largest USA Fencing tournament of the year. It's also considered to be the largest fencing tournament in the world this year.

The winners of these categories will be crowned as national champions in Phoenix: Y10, Y12, Y14, Division IA, Division II, Division III, Veteran Age, Veteran Team.

As for the other categories, they had their national championships earlier in the season, meaning their competition in Phoenix is part of the July Challenge portion of the tournament.