Author: emlawless

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MACFA

MACFA Championships 2025

3.2.2025

Men’s Epee

Men’s Epee goes to tournaments and wins bouts. Nolan Coughlin ‘24, Eric Montesi ‘26, and Lorenzo So ‘28 finished 7th place at MACFA Championships. In his last Champs, Nolan fenced incredibly well, going 8-4 on the day and taking home clutch wins against NJIT and Haverford. Fencing through injuries, Eric finished 7-4, never losing by more than one point in any of his bouts and finishing with the most touches scored in the B group. Lorenzo finished a strong 6-5 in his first Champs, upsetting several NCAA fencers to cap off a strong freshman season in MACFA. Nolan and Eric both qualified for individuals, finishing 9th and 11th, respectively. The boys maintained their form from the last few years, going toe to toe with every team they fenced, and they are looking forward to Nationals at Penn State.

Men’s Foil

Men’s foil concluded a challenging season at MACFA Champs. Dale DeVinney ‘27, Kevin Sae-Tung ‘26, and Conrad Burton ‘26 pushed hard, winning several bouts throughout the day and taking down Yeshiva 2-1. This was the first MACFA Champs appearance from Conrad and Kevin, and both had exceptional performances for their first Champs outing.

Men’s Saber

Men’s saber delivered a strong performance at MACFA Champs held at Drew University. The team was composed of Connor “Lancelot” Cassidy ‘25, Ryan “Chronos” Rauscher ‘27 and Evan “Duke” Jackson. Lancelot showed off his skills with his quick footwork and creative lockouts. Chronos continued to showcase his ability with his powerful box actions and lightning quick reflexes. Evan Jackson also competed well, using his tricky box actions and crafty bladework to take some victories. The squad fought hard throughout the day, taking victories against varsity schools and improving their skills. Ryan managed to score well in team bouts and managed to secure a position to compete in the individual tournament. Overall, the team put on a good performance, beating varsity teams and making William and Mary fencing known.

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Recaps

Conomikes-Gutenberg Open 2025

2.22.25-2.23.25

Over thirty of our teammates competed in our annual Spring Open, Conomikes-Gutenberg Open! It was a great experience for all of our fencers, and some of our fencers competed in their first open.
Special congrats to: 
  • Senior Mixed Foil
    • Jeffrey Gu: 2nd
  • Div III Epee
    • Luke Miller: 5th
  • Senior Mixed Epee
    • Eric Montesi: 2nd (Earning B25)
    • Alumni Armin Bagha: 5th
    • Lorenzo So: 7th (Renewing C25)
    • Nolan Coughlin: 8th (Renewing C25) 
  • Div III Foil
    • Sam Ferguson: 8th (Renewing E25)
  • Div III Sabre
    • Evan Jackson: 2nd (Renewing D25) 
    • Sam Heaney: 6th (Earning E25)
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MACFA

MACFA BvC 2025

2.16.2025

Men’s Epee

Eric Montesi ‘26, Luke Miller ‘27, and Patrick Feagin ’27 dominated at BvC, going a combined 27-12, beating both Army, and Yeshiva 8-1 and sweeping Hunter 9-0, with two 4-5 losses to tough NCAA opponents in NJIT and Stevens. All three fencers went positive on the day, with Eric dropping only three bouts throughout the competition, while Luke lost only four and finished with a +26 indicator. With MACFA Championships right around the corner, men’s epee hopes to bring a strong end to the season.

Men’s Foil

Men’s foil, consisting of Dale “Sandman” DeVinney ‘27, Kevin “Scythe” Sae-Tung ‘26, and Conrad “Xeno” Burton ‘26 put up a very solid performance at Macfa BvC. The squad came up decisively in a 6-3 bout against Yeshiva and another narrow 5-4 bout against Hunter. In defeat, men’s foil still put up a fight, falling just short of victory against Army and Stevens. 

Men’s Saber

The William and Mary men’s saber squad for MACFA B vs. C consisted of Squad Captain Evan “Duke” Jackson (Class of ‘25), Ryan “Chronos” Rauscher (Class of ‘27), and James “Ajax” Gosnell (Class of ‘28). The team went head to head against five other collegiate teams, picking up wins against Yeshiva University and Hunter College, while taking nail-biting losses to the saber teams from New Jersey Institute of Technology, Stevens Institute of Technology, and the U.S. Naval Academy. Many of the incredible highlights from these bouts included the W&M Saber A-squad’s members Duke and Chronos; with Duke’s lighting-fast counters and Chronos’ breathtaking pulls showing off their top-tier tip control and distance. Overall, the men’s saber squad have taken up a solid position for the upcoming MACFA Championships held at Drew University on March 2, 2025.

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SIFA

SIFA 2025

2.8.2025-2.9.2025

Men’s Epee

Men’s epee dominated SIFA yet again, winning the team event for the third consecutive year, and taking individual gold for the fourth year in a row. The trio of Eric Montesi ‘26, Lorenzo So ‘28, and two-time individual champion Nolan Coughlin ‘25 won the team event handily, dropping only three bouts overall and sweeping their semifinal and final opponents. In the individual competition, Nolan narrowly fell to the eventual silver medalist, while Lorenzo took down Eric in the semifinals to take the individual title. With another dominant SIFA result, men’s epee looks to carry their strong performances into MACFA Champs and USACFCs.

Women’s Epee

 The women’s epee team consisted of Sarah ‘Tarot’ Gresham, Rebekah ‘Opal’ Gresham, and Kata ‘Circe’ Kovari, with this being Circe’s first collegiate tournament. Tarot utilized amazing distance and arm touches to get an advantage over her opponents while Opal disarmed her opponents with perfectly timed parries and long attacks. Circe put her training into action with fantastically timed attacks and was able to evade her opponent’s blades with quick disengages to make more points. Both Tarot and Opal made it into the individual competition to take both gold and silver medals. In the subsequent teams event, women’s epee utilized amazing teamwork and coaching to crush the competition and take home gold. This was another amazing tournament for women’s epee, with lots of great fencing and fantastic results.

Men’s Foil

Men’s foil left absolutely everything on the strip at SIFA 2025. The squad consisted of Jeffrey “Ragnarok” Gu ‘25, Dale “Sandman” DeVinney ‘27, and Sam “Caiman” Ferguson ‘28. Jeffery and Sam qualified for the individual round, where Sam placed in 6th and Jeffrey stormed to a dominating 1st place finish. For the team event, William and Mary foil was seeded first by a significant margin. From there, the team steamrolled the competition to a decisive victory over Clemson to take home the gold. Combined, the squad only lost 2 bouts in their march to the podium, capping off an incredible performance for the weekend. 

Women’s Foil

The women’s foil squad, featuring the women’s foil captain Kate ‘Lilith QOH’ Ingle ‘27, Sarah ‘Medusa’ Terpenning ‘27, and Debbie ‘Prism’ Ho ’26, brought heat and enthusiasm to the strip in the individual and team event. Medusa and Lilith blazed through DEs and received 3rd and 2nd respectively. In the team event, woil got a BYE for the first round and went on to fence FSU in the semifinals, whom they swiftly defeated. With Medusa’s strong remises, Lilith’s swift attacks, and Prism’s strong parry ripostes, they were guaranteed a seat on the podium. With fire in their eyes they moved onto the finals to fence UVA. They put up a strong fight and ultimately placed second, but they loved fencing with UVA and look forward to seeing them in future tournaments!

Men’s Saber

The William and Mary men’s saber fencing squad delivered an extraordinary performance at the Southern Intercollegiate Fencing Association (SIFA) tournament, showcasing their dominance over a competitive field of southern division schools, including Clemson, UGA, Georgia Tech, UVA, Emory, and the University of Florida. The team, featuring the seasoned leadership of seniors Connor “Lancelot” Cassidy and Evan “Duke” Jackson, along with the rising star sophomore Ryan “Chronos” Rauscher, proved to be an unstoppable force, claiming first place overall in the team competition. Their precision, strategy, and teamwork were on full display, as they outclassed their rivals in every bout. On the individual front, Ryan’s performance was nothing short of spectacular. He not only went undefeated throughout the weekend but also claimed first place overall in individuals! His consistency and skill were unmatched. Meanwhile, Connor and Evan showed their own remarkable prowess, both finishing in a tie for third place, adding to the team’s exceptional results and an astonishing 2.3 indicator for team seeding. Together, the trio demonstrated not only their personal excellence but also the strength and depth of their team, solidifying William and Mary’s place as a powerhouse in collegiate fencing.

Women’s Saber

The 2025 SIFA women’s sabre squad featured Delia “Nightshade” Figlozzi, Isabelle “Finch” Neely, and Isabel “The Regulator” Tusing. As a freshman with only a month of experience under her belt, Finch absolutely crushed it, winning a bout 5-0 in pools and securing victory in the very last bout of the team event. While usually a foilist, Nightshade swept the competition off their feet, winning every single pool bout. She placed second overall in the individual event, after making it to finals with a close 15-14 victory in semifinals! After a long break from fencing, The Regulator was thrilled to once again compete in a collegiate setting, winning many bouts throughout the day and helping carry the team to victory. The team was elated to medal in both individual and team events, with a 2nd place victory in Individual Women’s Sabre and a 3rd place victory in Team Women’s Sabre and – two historic wins for an underrepresented squad! The team hopes these will be the first in a long line of wabre victories.

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MACFA

MACFA AvC 2025

2.2.2025

Men’s Epee

Men’s Epee, featuring Nolan Coughlin ‘25, Eric Montesi ‘26, and Lorenzo So ‘28 with Luke Miller ‘27 as alt, brought good vibes and good fencing to MACFA A vs C, going 2-2 on the day. Mepee defeated Rutgers and Cornell, the reigning USACFC champs. While the team struggled overall against a revamped Drew team and a strong Lafayette squad, each fencer took home several individual wins against NCAA and other highly rated opponents. With their next tournament in SIFA, men’s epee hopes to continue their championship streak before returning to the MACFA scene for B vs C and MACFA Champs.

Men’s Foil

Men’s foil, featuring captain Dale “Sandman” DeVinney, Fabian “Atlas” Shelton, and Conrad “Xeno” Burton, made a solid effort at MACFA A vs C. For Fabian, it was his first ever collegiate tournament, and he scored many decisive touches throughout the tournament. Conrad also showed incredible improvement, taking home a close bout against Rutgers. Dale had his best collegiate performance of his career, winning several bouts throughout the day and coming up positive against a dominant Drew foil squad. The team is looking sharp heading into MACFA Champs and BvC. 

Men’s Saber

The W&M AvC men’s saber squad consisted of Evan “Duke” Jackson, Connor “Lancelot” Cassidy, James “Ajax” Gosnell, and Ryan Michael “Scorpion” Silk. Over the four series’ of the day, the team achieved several wins. Some highlights included their overall win against Drew University, and their nail biting 4-5 loss to Rutgers. Additionally, this tournament was the first collegiate tournament attended by Ajax and Ryan Michael “Scorpion” Silk, with both of them scoring exciting touches against varsity opponents. Overall, men’s saber is in a good position for the rest of MACFA season, especially as they move on to BvC, and the championship later this month.

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MACFA

MACFA C Round Robin 2024

11.17.2024

Men’s Foil

This competition’s Men’s Foil team was composed of Kevin Sae-Tung ‘26, Vinton Bruton ‘26, and Sam Ferguson ‘28. This would mark the first collegiate appearances of Kevin and Sam, while being Vinton’s first collegiate after returning from the JDP program in Scotland. Sam kept his opponents on their toes with his split-second parries and counterattacks, often leaving them confused as to how their attacks missed. Vinton showcased exceptional usage of his height and distance, hitting his opponents just out of their reach. Kevin used clean disengages and parries to effect. Despite not winning any matches, they managed to take bouts off of every school other than Hopkins, a good showing for a relatively new team.

Men’s Épée

Men’s Épée, featuring the dynamic trio of Nolan Coughlin ’25, Eric Montesi ’26, and Lorenzo So ‘28, delivered an unforgettable performance at Navy. Nolan stunned opponents with his lightning-fast foot touches and devastating in-fights, often striking before they could even react. Eric showcased perfect distance control and executed textbook fleches, slicing through defenses with precision. Lorenzo was a force to be reckoned with, unleashing blazing-fast attacks and delivering high-precision strikes to the hand, leaving adversaries in awe. The team secured impressive victories against the University of Maryland and the United States Naval Academy. In fiercely contested matches, they fell to Haverford with a close 4-5 score and finished 3-6 against Johns Hopkins at, netting a total of 7 wins against varsity programs. Men’s Épée ended the day 19-17, energized and eager to prove themselves as a competitive force in MACFA.

Men’s Sabre

Men’s saber delivered a strong performance at MACFA CRR held at the United States Naval Academy, demonstrating their developing skills and determination against some of the top schools in the division. At the helm was team captain Connor “Lancelot” Cassidy ‘25, followed by sophomores Ryan “Chronos” Rauscher ‘27 and Ni “Vulcan” Hao. Making his debut in the collegiate fencing scene was freshman Hayden “Leif” Chon-Baker ‘28 who showed great promise while supporting the squad as their alternate. Lancelot, with his expert lockouts and strategic prowess, shook the competition and warranted plenty of oohs and ahhs from the audience. Chronos impressed with his lightning-fast reflexes and flawless blade work, constantly outmaneuvering his opponents with the precision of a seasoned veteran. Ni Hao rocked the strip with his rapid-fire attacks and razor-sharp timing, leaving opponents scrambling to keep up. Meanwhile, Leif demonstrated impressive composure for a freshman, showing flashes of brilliance that will undoubtedly lead to further success. The squad fought hard throughout the day, through decisive victories and fiercely contested matchups the team proved that they are a formidable presence on the strip and in the Mid-Atlantic Region.