Senior Paul Profeta capped a lackluster fencing season with a surprising third place in sabre to win all-America first team honors at the NCAA tournament in Los Angeles.

The Crimson team of Tom Musliner in foil, Brian Keidan in epee, and Profeta in sabre finished 10th among 37 schools. Musliner took 11th and Keidan 22nd.

Profeta, who has been fencing for only two years, captured 22 of 28 bouts. One of his victims was defending Eastern and NCAA sabre champion Paul Apostol of N.Y.U. -- "one of the best bouts in my life," Profeta said of the 5-3 duel.

Going into the final afternoon, Profeta was tied for fifth. He then won six straight bouts, including a brilliant 5-0 whitewash of John Swanson of Air Force, who was in third place.

Profeta's brother, Fred, took second in sabre at Yale at the 1961 Nationals.

N.Y.U. successfully defended its team title as Apostol claimed second in sabre, Mike Gaylor first in foil, and Joe Messin first in epee. The same trio swept the individual and team titles at the Easterns. Columbia placed second, although the Lions edged N.Y.U. 14-13 in a dual meet with nine-man teams earlier this year.

Keidan garnered all-Ivy first team laurels with an 11-4 record in epee, while Musliner's 10-5 put him on the second team in foil. Takashi Iwasawa, who played second foil during the Ivy season, made the first team with an 11-4 record.