For Immediate Release Ryan Harper The Ictus Initiative 617-230-2167 ryan@ictusinitiative.com Jeff Bukantz Named Head Referee for the 2005 NCAA Fencing Championships   Livingston, NJ: July 29, 2004- On July 21, 2004, the NCAA officially named Jeff Bukantz the Head Referee for the 2005 NCAA Fencing Championships. The appointment represents Bukantz's dedication as a U.S. fencing competitor, referee and administrator at countless national and international competitions. "After 26 years of being a top referee, it is quite an honor to be trusted with the important position of Head Referee. The job entails the hiring and assigning of referees for the championships, as well as handling all protests and questions about the rules," Bukantz says. Jeff Bukantz has represented the NCAA as a referee for three decades. In order to officiate in his first NCAA tournament in 1978, Bukantz paid his own travel expenses to reach the University of Wisconsin at Parkside in Kenosha, Washington. At the age of 21, he refereed gold medal bouts in foil and epee. Since then he has been a referee at almost every NCAA tournament, officiating over more gold bouts and team matches than any other referee. In 2003, Bukantz refereed the gold medal bouts in both women's and men's foil, exactly 25 years after his first one. In 2004, Bukantz was named Captain of the U.S. Olympics Fencing team that will compete at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece later this summer. He previously served as a referee at the '84 and '96 Olympics, including officiating all the way to the finals at the Atlanta Games.   ###