Fencing in the News

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Fencing: Under-13 boys' clean sweep at tournament
Ham and High Broadway
London, England, UK
20 January, 2006

www.hamhighbroadway.co.uk/content/camden/broadway/sport/story.aspx?brand=NorthLondon24&category=SportGeneric&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=sport&itemid=WeED20%20Jan%202006%2011%3A05%3A54%3A253

CAMDEN fencers won three golds, two silvers and two bronze medals in the Camden Leon Paul Junior Series sabre tournament at Acland Burghley on Saturday.

Fumi Aiyenuro won gold in the girls' under-17 event, beating Rosie Ghui 15-6 from the Hunt-Roeder club in Bristol.

The multi-talented Eucalypta Bradley captured the girls' under-13 title with a 10-7 defeat of North London Sabre's Victoria Carson.

Camden dominated the under-13 boys' with a clean sweep of the medals.

Waldo Ramsey pulled off a surprise gold, defeating team-mate Soji Aiyenuro, the British Youth under-12 sabre champion, 10-7 in the final.

Camden's Fabio Artesi shared the bronze with Harry Botelier of Westminster Under School.

In the boys' under-11 event Jack Horrix won silver after losing to the physically stronger and more experienced Noah Rogerson (Thuro).

There was also a bronze for Camden's Curtis Miller in the under-15 boys' event.

The tournament attracted fencers from as far afield as Durham and Stockport in the north, Lampeter and Llandovrey in Wales and Taunton and Truro in the south-east. The entry included Maiyiran Ratneswaren, the current British Cadet champion, and James Honeybonet, the British Youth champion.

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Fencers Take on National Elite at NYU Meet
By Joshua Robinson
Spectator Senior Staff Writer
CU Columbia Spectator
New York City, NY, USA
January 20, 2006

www.columbiaspectator.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/01/20/43d0915ee332a

There will be no lazy Sunday morning for the Columbia fencing team this weekend. By 9 a.m. they will be on the strips at NYU squaring off against three of the top four squads in the country in what will be their toughest test until the NCAAs.

Their most intimidating opponent will be none other than defending National Champions Notre Dame who, unlike the Lions, are in the thick of their season. The Fighting Irish started back in October, and in their most recent team event, swept the Northwestern duals last November.

One of the most intriguing matchups of the day will come when Columbia’s sophomore saberist Emily Jacobson faces her National squad teammate and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Mariel Zagunis.

The team Notre Dame defeated to claim the national crown, Ohio State, will also be downtown this weekend and will hope to repeat last year’s performance at the equivalent meet. And, according to U.S. Fencing’s latest rankings, this is a distinct possibility with seven of the top ten fencers in the country currently on the Buckeyes’ squad.

The only team missing from the 2005 NCAAs top five will be USC, who finished third. The fourth placed St. John’s, however, will be looking to carry over their recent form to force an upset. In their last outing, at the Brandeis Invitational in early December, St. John’s went 5-0 most notably defeating an improved Yale squad and MIT.

With Columbia rounding out last year’s top quintet, Northwestern, with their seventh place finish, is the lowest-ranked team from last year’s NCAAs competing this weekend. The Wildcats are particularly strong on the women’s side, starting the campaign 12-1. They will have a chance to avenge their single defeat when they take on the women of Notre Dame.

Wayne State, the fifth squad in the field, also boasts a strong women’s team but will likely be weighed down by their weak men’s team. At the November Northwestern Invitationals, the men went 1-7 while the women finished 7-2.

With that the Lions, who finished fifth at last year’s tournament, have their work cut out for them. But they will take strength from their impressive showing at last week’s USFA North American Cup event in Houston. Saberists James Williams and Alex Krul led the Columbia men with 1st and 10th place finished respectively, while the women placed three in the top 20.

The top four performances this weekend could be an early guide to the NCAA championships this March.

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FENCING PENN STATE TEAMS EARN HIGH RANKINGS
Centre Daily Times
State College, PA, USA
1/19/06

www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/13664436.htm

UNIVERSITY PARK -- The Penn State men's and women's fencing teams have both earned high rankings in the first USFCA Coaches Poll of the 2005-06 season.

The Nittany Lion women are ranked second in the poll while the men are ranked third.

Notre Dame tops the list on the women's side and Ohio State is ranked first on the men's side.

The Nittany Lion women are off to a 5-0 start this season with wins over North Carolina, Rutgers, Princeton, Harvard and New York University. The men are 4-1, with wins over North Carolina, Rutgers, Princeton and NYU.

The Nittany Lions did suffer a 14-13 upset loss to Harvard.

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FENCING COACH NIKKI FRANKE CAPTURES CAREER WIN #500
Temple University Athletics
PHILADELPHIA, PA
1/21/2006

www.owlsports.com/sports/wfencing/releases/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=16726

PHILADELPHIA - There's no better way to kick off the beginning of the collegiate dual-meet season than with a win. That is, unless that win is career #500. Saturday's 27-0 win against the New Jersey Institute of Techonology was just that for head coach Nikki Franke.

The milestone, which came at the Philadelphia Invitational Multi-Meet, was 34 years in the making. Franke has been Director of Fencing and the women's foil coach at Temple University since the program emerged in 1972.

“Win #500 feels great,” Franke said. “It speaks a lot about the quality of our program and I take great pride in that.” She said she looks to continually improve the program and to win another National Championship.

Temple finished today’s meet 3-2, picking up wins against NJIT (27-0), Cornell (19-8) and Drew (15-12), while dropping the second and fourth matches of the day to 7th ranked Northwestern (9-18) and 9th ranked Penn (10-17).

The meet was the first collegiate dual-meet for the freshmen class. Individually, sabre coach Brad Baker said he was very pleased with the squad’s strong performance against nationally ranked competition. Freshman sabre fencer Ashlee Phillips finished 7-7, sophomore Kristine Jones finished 8-6 and squad captain Keri Ecker split even at 7-7.

Epee squad leader Marla Nacey led with a 6-5 finish. Freshman Melissa Forsythe finished 5-4, sophomore Brianna Ferrara finished 4-7 and freshman Kaitlyn Uckert ended the day 2-3.

Leading the way for the foil squad was sophomore Samantha Myles and freshman Nina Gernes who finished 6-3 and 6-1 respectively. Senior Jenna Remmert finished 5-2, senior Maryanne Forsythe was 3-8 and freshman Sabrina Shapiro was 3-2 on the day.

Under Franke’s direction, Temple was the NCAA Women’s Foil Champions in 1991-92 and finished runners-up in 1987 and 1993. She was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, the United States Fencing Association Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Temple University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995. As the Director of Fencing at Temple, her program has produced 10 All-Americans.

Franke was a member of the 1976 and 1980 U.S. Olympic Teams and was the United States Fencing Association’s (USFA) National Foil Champion in 1975 and 1980. She also competed in the 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games, both on behalf of the United States and individually.

A New York City native, Franke graduated with honors from Brooklyn College in 1972 where she was a four-year letterwinner, placing third at the 1972 NIWFA National Championships. While at BC she was named an NIWFA All-American.

She received a master’s degree in Health Education from Temple in 1975, completed the doctoral program in 1988 and is currently an Associate Professor in Temple’s Department of Public Health.

Franke will be honored during halftime at the Temple men’s basketball game Wednesday, January 25 versus Xavier at the Liacouras Center.

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Fencing Goes 1-3 On Day One Of Philadelphia Invitational Multi-Meet
Heiss goes team-best 10-2 on the day for Cornell[/b]
PHILADELPHIA, Pa.
Jan. 21, 2006

cornellbigred.collegesports.com/sports/w-fenc/recaps/012106aaa.html


Alex Heiss went 10-2
on the afternoon
for the Big Red.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Cornell women's fencing team opened its dual meet season by posting a 1-3 record on day one of the Philadelphia Invitational Multi-Meet on Saturday afternoon at Hutchinson Gymnasium on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Cornell earned an easy 26-1 win over New Jersey Institute of Technology and suffered losses to Northwester (23-4), Temple (19-8) and Drew University (14-13).

Cornell's only win of the afternoon came in dominating fashion, topping NJIT with sweeps of sabre and epee. The Big Red's opponent did not field a full team in any of the weapons, leading to forfeits throughout.

The Big Red;s closest loss came against Drew despite winning both sabre and foil. A 6-3 defeat in epee sealed Cornell's fate. Meghan Phair earned two of the team's three wins in the weapon. The senior All-American had a 9-3 record on the afternoon. Freshman Alex Heiss was 3-0 in sabre in the loss, while both Jessica Cho and Celia Smith were 2-1 in the foil team victory.

The sabre team also stepped up big against Temple, winning 5-4 as part of a 19-8 loss to Temple. Heiss went 3-0 to lead the Big Red in the bout, and was a team-best 10-2 on the afternoon all together. She also won a bout against Northwestern, while Phair claimed two of the four Cornell victories in the loss to the Wildcats.

The multi-meet continues tomorrow for the Big Red.

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Irish Women's Fencing Team Debuts At No. 1 Spot In First 2006 Coaches Poll, Notre Dame Men Ranked Second
Quest for NCAA title again could be a multiple-team battle, with as many as seven teams in position to win the combined title.
CollegeSports.com
UND
Jan. 21, 2006

und.collegesports.com/sports/c-fenc/spec-rel/012106aah.html

Despite losing three of their six competitors from the 2005 NCAA championship team (foilists Alicja Kryczalo and Andrea Ament and epeeist Kerry Walton), the Notre Dame women's fencing team has earned the No. 1 spot in the first U.S. Fencing Coaches Association poll (with the ND men listed No. 2). Notre Dame owns the best combined poll standing, followed by Ohio State (#1 men, #4 women), Penn State (#2 women, #3 men), Columbia (#3 women, #5 men), Harvard (#4 men, #5 women), St. John's (#6 men and women) and Princeton (#7 men, #9 women). Four of the six teams listed above - ND, OSU, Columbia and SJU - will be in action this week at the NYU Duals, as the Irish will have plenty of early tests to start the 2006 season.

Here's a capsule look at Notre Dame and the other six teams with the best chance to be in the mix for the 2006 NCAA combined fencing title:

NOTRE DAME - The Irish return seven competitors (six All-Americans) from the 2005 NCAA championship squad: junior sabre fencers Mariel Zagunis (1st), Patrick Ghattas (2nd), Valerie Providenza (4th) and Matt Stearns (10th), junior epeeists Amy Orlando (2nd) and Aaron Adjemian (24th) and sophomore foilist Jakub Jedrkowiak (7th) ... ND junior foilist Frank Bontempo and junior sabre Angela Vincent also have NCAA Tournament experience, competing at the '04 event ... ND must replace four of the program's top all-time fencers: three-time NCAA foil champion (and '05 runner-up) Alicja Kryczalo, fellow four-time All-America foilist Andrea Ament (the '02 and '04 NCAA runner-up), four-time epee All-American and '05 NCAA champ Michal Sobieraj (also '03 runner-up), and three-time women's epee All-American Kerry Walton (the '02 NCAA champ and '04 runner-up) ... other top members of ND's 2006 women's team include: fifth-year epeeist Becca Chimahusky, freshman epeeists Kim Montoya (#16 in the USFA under-21 rankings) and Madeleine Stephan (a German youth standout), junior foilist Melanie Bautista and freshman foilists Adrienne Nott (#9 in the USFA u-21 rankings) and Emilie Prot (#39 in the USFA u-21s) ... other key members of the ND men's team include freshman sabre standout Bill Thanhouser (currently #1 in the USFA u-21 rankings), sophomore epee captain Greg Howard, freshman epeeist Karol Kostka (who joined the Irish with a #20 world u-21 rankings) and freshman foilist Mark Kubik (#14 in the USFA u-21 rankings) ... both ND teams opened 6-0 at the Northwestern Duals, with key wins for the men over Stanford, North Carolina and Cal State Fullerton (the Irish women also beat those teams, plus their regional rival Northwestern).

OHIO STATE - Like the Irish, OSU's biggest losses are in women's foil - as four-time All-Americans and twin sisters Hanna (6th at '05 NCAAs) and Metta (10th) Thompson have moved on to graduation ... OSU still returns nine members of its '05 NCAA runner-up squad (eight All-Americans), led on the men's side by two-time NCAA men's foil champ Boaz Ellis, three-time All-America sabreist Adam Crompton (two-time NCAA champ, 7th in '05), his fellow senior sabre standout and 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason Rogers (5th at '05 NCAAs) and junior epeeist Denis Tolkachev (4th at '05 NCAAs, 3rd in '04) ... other NCAA men's veterans for OSU include junior foilist Christian Rivera (12th) and sophomore foilist Will Jeter (14th) ... OSU has plenty of options at women's sabre, led by sophomores Siobahn Byrne (3rd at '05 NCAAs), Amelia Galliard (7th) and Eileen Grench (#10 in USFA rankings) ... junior epeeist Kaela Brendler (5th at '05 NCAAs) also returns, as does senior epeeist Marguerite Plekhanov (a converted sabre fencer who competed in that weapon at the '03 and '04 NCAAs) ... OSU has several others who could step into greater roles, including: freshmen foilists Andras Horanyi (#4 in USFA rankings) and Dmitri Kirk-Gordon (#26), freshman sabre Mike Montselidze (#7), junior sabre Jason Paul (#28; All-American at '04 NCAAs), senior foilist Alexandra DiCerbo, sophomore foilist Byrony Beard, freshman foilist Allison Rush, sophomore epeeists Olga Obrazcova (injured in '05) and Leslie Lampman, and junior sabre veteran Syvenna Siebert.

PENN STATE - PSU welcomes back nine of the 11 fencers (five All-Americans) from its fourth-place team at the '05 NCAAs: sophomore sabreist Franz Boghicev (top '05 NCAA round-robin record, finished 4th), junior sabre standout Sophie Hiss (5th; also '04 NCAA runner-up), sophomore epeeist Arthur Urman (8th), junior epeeist Case Szarwark (9th), sophomore foilist Jeff Chang (11th), junior sabreist Ian Farr (13th; also '04 All-American), senior foilist Anna Donath (14th; two-time All-American), senior epeeist Andrea Wine (20th) and junior sabreist Laura Hillstrom (22nd) ... PSU has several others with NCAA Tournament experience, including junior epeeist Katarzyna Trzopek (the '04 NCAA champ who missed the '05 NCAAs due to a broken leg), senior sabre veteran Marten Zagunis (a '03 and '04 All-American and brother of ND's Mariel Zagunis) and senior foilist Chris Miller ... the PSU men also return junior men's sabreist Axel Reblewski and the epee tandem of sophomore Dennis Draft and junior Kevin King ... the women's sabre squad should get a boost from freshman Caitlin Thompson and also will look for key bouts from junior foilist Tamara Najm ... PSU's only losses from its 2005 NCAA team are foilist Non Panchan (a two-time NCAA champ) and fellow four-time All-America foilist Meredith Chin ... the PSU women have opened 5-0 (beating Harvard, Princeton, UNC, NYU and Rutgers) while the men are 4-1, with a 13-14 loss to Harvard.

COLUMBIA - Columbia had a solid 5th-place showing at the '05 NCAAs and returns seven of its 10 competitors (six All-Americans) from that NCAA squad ... top returners for Columbia include: the sabre tandem of sophomore Emily Jacobson ('05 NCAA champ and U.S. national-team member) and senior three-time All-American Emma Barratta (8th at '05 NCAAs), sophomore epeeist Morgan Midgley (3rd at '05 NCAAs), junior epeeist Cassidy Luitjen (11th), junior sabre standout Krul (6th) and junior foilist Scott Sugimoto (6th) ... senior epee veteran Bill Verigan also returns after competing in the '05 NCAAs (23rd) ... the Lions will be looking to overcome the absence of epeeist Alexie Rubin (12th at '05 NCAAs), who is studying overseas ... Columbia's other losses from the '05 NCAA team include sabre fencer Paul Reyfman (9th) and foilist Jeremy Sinkin (15th) ... the Columbia women are looking to get key contributions from senior sabreist Christian Robinson, junior foilist Kathleen Reckling, sophomore foilist Magda Losonczy and junior epeeist Rachel Rowe while the men look for a boost from senior foilist Luka Lazia and sabre fencers such as junior James Williams and sophomore Alex Diacou (brother of ND senior Nicholas Diacou).

HARVARD - The Crimson return all 10 of their competitors (seven of them All-Americans) from the 6th-place team at the '05 NCAAs: sophomore foilist Emily Cross ('05 NCAA champ), junior Tim Hagamen in sabre (3rd), senior epeeists Julian Rose (6th) and Benji Ungar (7th), sophomore sabreist Caroline Wright (6th), junior foilist Jasmine McGlade (7th), senior sabre veteran David Jakus (12th), sabre sophomore Alexa Weingarden (14th), senior epeeist Chloe Stinetorf (17th) and junior foilist Enoch Woodhouse (19th) ... Harvard also returns senior foilists Anne Austin and could get a lift from freshman epeeist Maria Larsson ... the Harvard men opened 4-0 with wins over Penn State (14-13), NYU, UNC and Rutgers while the women were 3-1 with a 15-12 loss to PSU.

ST. JOHN'S - The Red Storm were the only team to qualify the maximum 12 fencers for the '05 NCAAs (finishing third) but five of those fencers have departed, including: '05 NCAA sabre champ Sergey Isayenko, former NCAA foil champ Horvath (5th in '05), the foil tandem of Nitai Kfir (5th) and Henry Kennard (13th) and women's sabre All-American Christina Crane (10th) ... the only men's fencers returning from SJU's '05 NCAA team are junior epeeist Benjamin Bratton (10th in '05; '04 NCAA runner-up) and junior sabreist Nijmy Cadet (17th) ... SJU's five women's fencers who are back from the '05 NCAAs include three All-Americans: junior foilist Erzberet Garay (4th at '05 NCAAs), sophomore epeeist Joanna Guy (10th) and senior Kasia Wiernoski in sabre (12th) ... other '05 NCAA returners include sophomore foilist Katia Larchanks (13th) and sophomore epeeist Reka Szele (13th) ... SJU will be hoping for a boost in men's epee from freshman Stanley Vaksman and junior Adam Rodney while others who could fill expanded roles include sophomore sabre standout Luther Clement (a transfer from Columbia), sophomore women's foilist Chenzi Zhang and freshman sabreists Olga Outchinnkava and Elizabeth Gray ... the SJU women dropped a 15-12 match to Yale at the recent Brandeis Invitational while the men topped Yale (19-8).

PRINCETON - The Tigers could have been in the mix at the '05 NCAAs but did not qualify any fencers in men's or women's sabre ... Princeton does return five of its six competitors from the '05 team that placed 8th at the NCAAs (all but Olympic epeeist Soren Thompson, who placed 3rd at the '05 NCAAs) ... those returners include: senior foilist Jacqueline Leahy (3rd), junior epeeist Erin McGarry (6th), senior epeeist Ben Solomon (9th), junior foilist Alejandro Bras (18th) and senior epeeist Kira Hohonsee (24th) ... the Princeton men will look for added contributions from sophomores Tommi Hurme (epee) and Douglas Hohonsee (foil) and the sabre pair of senior Owen Cornwall and junior Joseph Cho ... junior foilist Sara Jew-Lim adds experience to the women's lineup, as do junior Elan DiMaio and senior Caroline Black in sabre ... both Princeton teams have posted wins in '05-'06 over UNC, NYU and Rutgers but each lost to Penn State (12-15 men, 9-18 women).

U.S. Fencing Coaches Association Poll (Jan. 18, 2006)

MEN
1. Ohio State
2. Notre Dame
3. Penn State
4. Harvard
5. Columbia
6. St. John's (NY)
7. Princeton
8. Pennsylvania
9. Stanford
10. Duke
Others receiving votes: Air Force, Rutgers, Brown, NYU, Yale, North Carolina, UC-San Diego, Wayne State (MI), Brandeis, Cleveland State

WOMEN
1. Notre Dame
2. Penn State
3. Columbia-Barnard
4. Ohio State
5. Harvard
6. St. John's (NY)
7. Northwestern
8. Yale
9. Pennsylvania
9. Princeton
Others receiving votes: Stanford, Wayne State (MI), Temple, Duke, UC-San Diego, Air Force, NYU, Rutgers, North Carolina, Brown

[LongBlade]

EN GARDE
Beginners position themselves to learn fencing
By DANIEL PIKE
STAFF WRITER
Springfield Journal-Register
Springfield, Ill
January 22, 2006

www.sj-r.com/sections/news/stories/76780.asp

Instructor Kevin Hughes describes fencing as "physical chess" - a combination of footwork, hand-eye coordination and cognitive skills.

It's probably all of those, but 13-year-old Gantt Nicholson of Springfield attended Saturday's beginner fencing class at the Illinois State Police Academy for the combat.

"I've always kind of been interested in sword fighting," said Nicholson, who was joined at the class by his mother, Linda Kelley. "A friend of mine is taking fencing lessons, so I did it and really liked it."

Kelley, however, said she was participating mainly for recreation and exercise.

"I did it so I could do something fun with my 13-year-old son," she said. "And also to get into shape at the same time."

The closest Gantt and his classmates came to swashbuckling at Saturday's session - the first of four class meetings in the coming weekends - was a brief tutorial on holding and moving with the foil, which the fencing weapon is called.

Hughes spent most of the hour-long session introducing equipment and reviewing safety rules with the all-ages class. Subsequent classes will focus on lunging and attacking - with Hughes serving as a practice pincushion until students are ready to absorb blows.

Hughes, a master sergeant with the state police, began fencing in 1977 while he was a student at Northern Illinois University. This is the third series of beginner classes he has taught for the program, which is sponsored by the Springfield Ballet Company. The program began after Hughes was asked by the ballet company to choreograph sword fighting scenes for a recent production of "Romeo and Juliet."

Hughes also is a member of the Springfield Fencing Club, which split the academy gymnasium with the class Saturday.

"It's good for (the fencing club)," Hughes said. "Those who are really interested will stick around, and we'll be able to give them one-on-one training instead of being taught as a group."

Hughes said that in most cases, it won't be long before the beginners are ready to fence competitively. He said two graduates of a previous beginner class have worked with the fencing club and will enter a tournament in St. Louis in March.

Registration is closed for the current round of beginner classes, but Hughes said they will be offered again, possibly in mid- to late March. Hughes also teaches an intermediate class.

Springfield's Jim Dickinson said he's wanted to learn fencing for a while, so he jumped at the opportunity when a friend invited him to Hughes' class.

"The speed, the skill - I'm light on my feet, quick," said Dickinson, 56, who also is a runner. "So that's what's appealing about it."

"I'm getting older, so I wish I'd done it earlier."

[LongBlade]

Lincoln Fencing Club hosts Icicle Tournament
By JOSH SWARTZLANDER
Lincoln Journal Star
Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
1/22/06

www.journalstar.com/articles/2006/01/21/local/doc43d2decb709d7667705114.txt

Basketball and baseball, soccer and football — they’re all fine sports, says Kim Shrader, 16. Problem is, most people stop playing them after high school.

Lisa Franz, left, of the Lincoln Fencing Club charges toward Tess DeLean of Gateway Fencing Academy in St. Louis during the Open Women's Foil competition during the 2006 Icicle Invitational Tournament held at Air Park Recreational Center, Jan. 21, 2006. (Krista Niles)

When it comes to fencing, however, you can play, well, “forever,” says Shrader, a member of the Lincoln Fencing Club.

“It’s not just fun. It’s a passion.”

Nearly 100 people who shared that passion were thrusting and parrying Saturday at the Air Park Rec Center, 3720 N.W. 46th St., during the 2006 Icicle Invitational Tournament, an annual local event featuring fencers from across the Midwest. The tournament continues today from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. It’s open free to spectators.

Shrader was in fine form Saturday afternoon during the women’s foil event. In foil, people use light swords and earn points only for striking an opponent’s chest. Shrader’s Saturday competition was just for fun. Her focus is on sabre fencing — heavier swords and bigger targets.

She went 2-0 anyway.

That’s what she likes best about fencing: “I like having a tough battle. And then, you know, dominating.”

Males and females, from teenagers to 60-year-olds, are competing in the weekend tournament, said Kristian Anderson, coach of the Lincoln Fencing Club.

“This is kind of a lifetime sport,” he said.

He compared fencing to a layered cake or an onion — it challenges people on many levels. While keeping track of the opponent’s blade and anticipating the next move, fencers rely on balance and footwork.

“It’s multi-layered,” he said. “It’s physical chess.”

[LongBlade]

Wildcats Go 5-0 at Penn Duals
Team improves to 17-1 on season
NUSports.com
Northwestern University Athletics
Jan. 21, 2006

nusports.collegesports.com/sports/w-fenc/recaps/012106aab.html

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern's women's fencing team went 5-0 at the Penn Duals in Philadelphia Saturday afternoon. Hosted by Ivy League school Penn, NU upped its season dual record to 17-1 on the season.

The Wildcats ran into bad weather leaving Chicago and did not arrive in the city of brotherly love until approximately 3:30 a.m. But NU looked past the travel difficulties and opened the dual meets with a 23-4 trouncing of Cornell. The foil team dominated, winning all nine of its bouts, as both the epee and sabre squads went 7-2.

NU faced the Owls of Temple in the second match of the day, winning 18-9. Foil and sabre squads each went 7-2, while the epee team was 4-5.

In what head coach Laurie Schiller called the `strongest team effort of the day,' NU beat ninth-ranked Penn, 17-10. The foil team was 8-1 and sabre went 6-3. The epee squad fell 3-6.

Like good teams do, NU did not let up after a big win over a ranked opponent. NU beat Drew University 22-5. The sabre team was a perfect 9-0 and foil was 8-1. Epee won 5-4.

In the final match of the Penn Duals, the Wildcats shut out New Jersey Institute of Technology, 27-0. The foil team won all three of its bouts, adding to the six forfeits, to go 9-0. The epee team did not get a chance to fence, as all nine wins were by forfeit. The sabre team went 6-0 before three forfeits totaled the 27 points.

The Northwestern women's fencing team is back in action, this time in New York City for the NYU Duals. The meet will take place all day.

[LongBlade]

Fencer Sherraine MacKay earns silver at Budapest World Cup
Canadian Fencing Federation

January 21, 2006

www.sportsfeatures.com/index.php?section=pp&action=show&id=28541

BUDAPEST - Canada's top women's epee fencer and author of Running With Swords, Sherraine MacKay, put on a sparkling performance to kick off the 2006 World Cup season by winning the silver medal at the Westend Cup in Budapest today. In the gold medal match, MacKay, currently ranked 4th in the world, lost 15-10 to Anna Branza of Romania.

The day’s highlight came in the semi-finals when MacKay overcame a 14-12 deficit to defeat the 5-time Olympic medalist, Laura Flessel-Colovic of France 15-14. Flessel-Colovic and Cristiana Cascioli from Italy shared the bronze medal.

“The match doesn’t end at 14…I knew I just had to be courageous and forget about her Olympic medals and go for it!” MacKay said following the event.

MacKay of Brooks, Alta. scraped the off-season rust away with a 15-14 victory in the 1st round over Smiljka Rodic from Serbia Montenegro. She followed up with solid wins over Greece’s Dimitra Magkanoudaki 15-7, Veronica Rossi of Italy 15-3 and Russia’s Oxana Ermakova 15-11 in the quarter-finals.

The last time MacKay climbed the medal podium was when she made fencing history at the 2005 World Championship, winning Canada's first ever medal (bronze).

The Westend Cup had the largest turnout in World Cup history with 167 competitors.

The season continues next weekend in Prague.

[LongBlade]

Local sports schedule and briefs
San Marcos Daily Record
San Marcos, Texas, USA
Jan 21, 2006

sanmarcosrecord.com/articles/2006/01/22/sports/sports5.txt

Local fencer earns silver

A San Marcos fencer with the All-Texas Athletic Center won the Silver medal in the Division 1 Women's Epee event at the North American Cup competition held Jan. 13-16 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Esperanza Madera de Barrera, 43, was one of a field of 111 fencers in an A4 rated event. She fought her way through the entire direct elimination table to finally loose in the gold medal bout by a score of 15-13 to Lacey Burt from the Northwest Fencing Center in Beaverton, Oregon.

A Division 1 competition is limited to the top three percent of competitive fencers in the United States and a A4 event is the highest level event recognized by the United States Fencing Association. There are only three Division 1 NAC tournaments held throughout the nation every year. Only the Summer Nationals is a bigger event.

For information about fencing in the San Marcos area contact the All Texas Athletic Center on the web at www.atacfencing.org. ATAC is currently accepting registrations for the Spring 2006 Learn to Fence program.

LEARN TO FENCE CAMPS

The All Texas Athletic Center will be hosting four Learn to Fence Mini-Camps at the Jowers Center on the Texas State Campus this spring. Come learn this exciting Olympic sport from nationally recognized coaches. Register early as space is limited to 20 students per course. All equipment is provided. Course dates are Jan. 18 through Feb. 8, Feb. 15 through Mar. 8, Mar. 22 through Apr. 12 and Apr. 19 through May 10. Days and times are Mondays and Wednesdays 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Cost is $75 per course. Family discounts available. Students are eligible to join our Youth or Competitive Program upon completion of a course. For more information contact John Moreau at [e-mail] or visit our Web site at www.atacfencing.org.

[LongBlade]

Fencing falters against top foes
by Brad Clough
Sports Editor
Washington Square News
NY, NY, USA
January 23, 2006

www.nyunews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/01/23/43d48da8768ac

The screams of successful fencers and the cheers of teammates and family members were heard from the rooftop yesterday inside Coles Sports Center.
The deafening noise meant only one thing: NYU was hosting its annual Fencing Invitational.

The Violets’ yearly tournament played host to seven schools from around the country, including some of the top-ranked teams in the nation.

NYU was unable to conquer powerhouse Ohio State University in their first match. The men’s team dropped a 20-7 decision, while the women’s team fell 17-10.

Senior captain Gabe Sinkin and sophomore Alex Kao both earned two wins for men’s foil, while senior Jon Gorman posted two wins for men’s epee.

“Ohio State is one of the top teams in the country, so overall I think I did pretty well,” Gorman said.

There was no doubt among the Violets that the Buckeyes were their toughest opponent, yet they played like they didn’t know it.

“There wasn’t a feeling of ‘we can’t do this.’ It was a silent determination,” junior Dimitri Apostol said. “It didn’t feel like a loss.”

The women’s foil team earned the lone win against the Buckeyes, with senior co-captain Kristen Wentrcek and sophomore Eugenia Lee capturing all three of their bouts.

Both the men’s and women’s teams were victorious in their next match against Wayne State, as the men earned a 21-6 victory and the women seized a 15-12 win.

The men’s foil team earned an effortless 9-0 win, while the epee and sabre squads both captured 6-3 victories.

The women’s team was highlighted by the flawless fencing of Wentrcek, who again won all three of her foil bouts. Junior co-captain Lauren Willock and sophomore Brett Downey both posted two wins in epee and sabre, respectively.

“I made sure I was feeling good and eating the right food before I started fencing,” senior Jeanie Goto said. “I had to work up my endurance for a long day.”

NYU’s third match of the day ended in disappointment, as the men and women both dropped decisions against the University of Notre Dame.

“You gotta warm up before the tournament or you’ll be caught off guard,” Kao said. “I’ve been fencing for two weeks since coming back from break, but this week I took it easy.”

The final match for the men’s team was another heartbreak, as they fell 21-6 to St. John’s University. Despite the loss, the team was not disheartened by their all-around effort.

“I’m very proud of our squad,” Sinkin said. “St. John’s is a talented team, and I thought we performed very well overall.”

The women’s team was also defeated by the Red Storm, 20-7. Willock was the top performer in the match, winning all three of her epee bouts.

“The epee squad did pretty well, but we would have liked to have done better,” Goto said. “We really had to stick through it, but we hung in there.”

The women’s last match came against Northwestern University; the women dropped a 22-5 decision. Both Willock and Goto earned two wins in epee despite the loss.

“I think I could’ve done better, but then again everybody wishes they could do better,” Goto said.

Although the Violets were not as successful as they hoped, the team was proud to represent their school at home.

“There’s comfort in being where you know where everything is,” Goto said. “There’s a sense of pride coming onto our space, and we have to protect our turf.”

[LongBlade]

FENCING: Irish fall short of win in NYU tournament
By Dan Tapetillo
The Observer
Notre Dame University
South Bend, IN, USA
1/23/06

www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/paper660/news/2006/01/23/Sports/Fencing.Irish.Fall.Short.Of.Win.In.Nyu.Tournament- 1493290.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.ndsmcobserver.com

This weekend's matches at the NYU duals proved to be bittersweet for Notre Dame.

Despite finding early success against the nation's top teams on Sunday, both Irish teams fell just short of the victory, finishing 4-1.

The No. 2-ranked men defeated their first four opponents. Their first match-up against Yale proved to be less challenging than expected with a 20-7 Irish win. Sophomore foilist Jakub Jedrkowiak and junior Frank Bontempo both posted wins over 2004 NCAA runner-up Cory Werk. Freshman Mark Kubik fell just short of another Irish victory over Werk, dropping the match 4-5.

"I started off well, but didn't fence well during the bout," Kubick said. "It could have gone either way. But that is how fencing goes. I had some trouble hitting."

No. 5 Columbia was Notre Dame's next challenge.

Notre Dame clinched the impressive win by sophomore epeeist Greg Howard's 5-3 victory over Max Czapanskiy. Another noteworthy performance came from Kubik, who defeated Scott Sugimoto 5-3. Sugimoto registered victories over Jedrkowiak (5-3) and Bontempo (5-4).

"I have been fencing Scott for a while, I was pretty familiar with and made the match a little easier," Kubic said. "He fenced well against my teammates, but a match that I was pretty on."

After defeating its next two competitors NYU (17-10) and No. 6 St. John's (17-10), Notre Dame suffered its only loss of the weekend from No. 1 Ohio State. The Buckeyes' All American Christian Rivera swept the ND epeeists including a 5-4 win over freshman Karol Kostka. Two-time NCAA champion Boaz Ellis collected three 5-0 victories over the Irish foilists.

The No. 1 ranked women opened with a 20-7 win over No. 8 Yale.

Freshman foilist Adrienne Nott posted a 5-4 victory over NCAA veteran Alisa Mendelsohn. Sophomore Melanie Bautista followed Nott's win with her own 3-2 overtime victory over Mendelsohn.

However, the women could not continue their momentum against No. 3 Columbia, dropping the match 8-19.

All-American Morgan Midgley, a third-place finisher for Columbia at the 2005 NCAAs, defeated Irish junior Amy Orlando 5-3 and freshman Madeleine Stephen. But Midgley could not finish the sweep, as fifth-year senior Becca Chimahusky topped the All-American 3-2 in overtime.

The women finished out the competition with wins over NYU (24-3), St. John's (16-11) and No. 4 Ohio State (17-10).

Although the Irish failed to come out on top, the team was still satisfied with its efforts over the weekend.

"We struggled at certain points, but in the end we pulled things together," junior sabre Valerie Providenza said.

[LongBlade]

Familiar Foes Compete At NYU Fencing Invitational
Intense bouts are often between friends[/b][/color]
By Matthew Shapiro
CollegeSportsTV.com
NY, NY, USA
Jan. 22, 2006

www.cstv.com/sports/c-fenc/stories/012206aab.html

Imagine a Saturday in the middle of football season that had Texas, USC, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Florida State all playing each other. Now imagine all of those games happening in the same place -- at the same time.

On Sunday, NYU hosted one of the biggest and most prestigious fencing invitationals of the year. The event boasted eight of the top teams in the country competing in a full-day, round robin style tournament.

"This tournament is nationally recognized as one of the best college meets that's in existence," NYU coach Steve Mormando said. He said that the tournament boasted some of the best teams in college with the possible exceptions of Penn State, Princeton and Harvard.

Even on a day in which eight teams are competing in a massive gymnasium, there is something very personal about fencing. While other sports have moments of one-on-one action, it is hard to duplicate the type of intensity that comes from a fencing bout. It is two people, two swords and the first to five touches wins.

There's no time for a mental breather, you can't pass the ball to a teammate or get subbed out. For the three or four minutes that you're on the strip, your mind must be completely clear, focused on each small nuance of your opponent's style.

"Each touch is like the last touch in your life," Ohio State coach Vladimir Nazlymov said. "Each touch it's like you have to put in all your concentration, all your idea and all your emotion. Without this, the sport will be not interesting."

One of the many referees at the event, the ECAC's Ron Wangner, tried to put the intensity and concentration of fencing into a team sport context.

"I would liken college fencing to basketball free throw shooting," Wangner said. "At the end of the day it's that team's fencer on the strip who has to perform. And that's a tremendous amount of pressure."

Depending on one's perspective, that pressure is either heightened or quelled by the fact that all of the fencers are so familiar with each other. In Division I, II and III combined, there are only 35 schools that participate in men's fencing. Compared to 119 in I-A football and the 334 men's teams that are supported by D-I basketball.

Since there are so few teams, the storylines of the bouts become more interesting. The teams see each other often, and grow to know the other fencers and their abilities.

But the connection between many didn't start in college; the relationships between some of the fencers began long before school, as several of the competitors grew up training together. When everyone parted ways for college, the fencers went from training partners to competitors.

Because of the tight-knit feel of the fencing community, NYU junior Brian Whitton likened it to one big family.

"Fencing meets are like family reunions with points," Whitton said.

The relationship fencers share is similar to that of siblings -- they may fight, but once they leave the strip, their relationship remains.

"While things do get rowdy on the strip, things sort of adhere to a fencing civil code," Whitton said.

No fencer is anonymous in this circle, and therefore must be respectful to the unspoken code of sportsmanship. Because the fencers will undoubtedly face each other again, they are careful to leave any bad will or anger on the strip.

Overall, Sunday's most successful schools were Ohio State and Notre Dame. The Buckeye men swept their competition, beating NYU, St. John's, Columbia, Yale and Notre Dame. The Notre Dame men and women both went 4-1.

[LongBlade]

Women's Fencing Sweeps Competition at West Point on Sunday
Freshmen Jasmine Cooper and Amanda Hauck combine for a 17-1 record.[/b][/color]
CollegeSports TV.com
Jan. 23, 2006

www.cstv.com/sports/c-fenc/stories/012306aae.html

WEST POINT, NY - The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's fencing team downed Stevens Institute of Technology, Vassar College and the United States Military Academy in West Point, NY on Sunday, Jan. 22, en route to 7-2 records in three weapons.

Freshman Jasmine Cooper posted nine victories to lead the Knights' epee squad to an undefeated 3-0 showing. Cooper won all nine of her matches, while junior Zena Coloumbe recorded a 7-2 record. Sophomore Erica Kuehn rounded out the epee team with a 5-3 finish.

Fairleigh Dickinson's foil unit was led by freshman Rebecca Kellogg's 7-2 record, followed by sophomore Erica Galarza's 6-3 finish. Freshman Lacey Hancher contributed a 4-2 record, while sophomore Lauren Hucherson went 0-3. The Knights' foil squad went 2-1 with wins over Stevens Tech and Vassar.

Freshman Amanda Hauck notched eight wins in nine matches to lead FDU's sabre squad. Hauck's lone loss was to Army - a club team - therefore leaving the freshman undefeated under NCAA Regional standards.

Freshman Alison Luckhardt recorded a 4-5 finish in the sabre. Junior Jen Cheng and freshman April Semilla landing records of 3-4 and 2-4, respectively. FDU's sabre team finished 2-1 with victories over Stevens Tech and Vassar.

Seven on the Knights' nine starters remain on track for qualification for the NCAA Regionals, to be held on March 4 in Durham, NC.

Fairleigh Dickinson travels to Drew University in Madison on Sunday, Jan. 29 to compete against the host Rangers and Johns Hopkins University.