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MACFA

MACFA Championships 2023 Recap

Foil

Men’s foil closed out the post season with a very strong performance at MACFA Champs. A strip Nick “Osiris” Reeder ‘24, B strip Thomas “Vice” Mahnken ‘24, and C strip Frank “The Judge, Jury, and Executioner” Prather ‘25 brought their game to New Jersey, taking wins off almost every school. Judge stepped up to the plate and continued his very effective defensive game, bringing home multiple varsity wins. Vice brought clean attacks and swift parries and secured 3 varsity wins. Osiris started off strong, using fast footwork and dynamic attack to snag 4 varsity wins but had to withdraw in the 7th round due to injury.

Nick Reeder zoomin’

Epee

Men’s Épée, comprised of Jake “Merlin” Schapiro ’24, Nolan “Titan” Coughlin ’25, and Armin “D.O.W. Jones” Bagha ’24, performed very well at MACFA Champs, coming in 5th place overall out of 15 schools. The squad each won their bouts against Haverford, a varsity school. Making use of his long legs, Armin lunged at his opponents throughout the day, winning many bouts. With his speedy actions, Nolan annihilated his opponents. Unafraid to take his time, Jake demonstrated great patience, going for the touch when the moment was just right. Men’s Épée is excited for the next tournament. 

Sabre

Mens sabre came to MACFA champs with their eyes on the prize. Christopher “Claymore” Zane ‘25 commanded powerful parries, riposting before his opponents knew what hit them. He won 7 bouts against Yeshiva, Rowan, Lafayette, Hunter, Maryland, Cornell, and the United States Naval Academy. Evan “Duke” Jackson ‘25 utilized skillful, lightning fast quick attacks, winning 4, against Yeshiva, Rowan, Hunter, and Cornell. Leading the squad, their dashing captain Michael “Slate McCoy: Noir Detective” Zessin ‘23 employed sneaky counter attacks to beat Cornell and Yeshiva, and going 4-5 against Hunter and Drew. Overall, mens sabre won 10th place, beating 5 teams, including 3 varsity teams. Mens sabre is happy with their success, and is looking forward to more victories in the future!

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MACFA

MACFA BvC 2023 Recap

Foil

Men’s foil closed out the season strong with Nick ‘Osiris’ Reeder ‘24, Thomas ‘Vice’ Mahnken ‘24, and Frank ‘The Judge, Jury, and Executioner’ Prather ‘25 winning two rounds against varsity schools. Judge, through solid defense and patient repostes secured not only his first, but also his second varsity win against Yeshiva University and Hunter College. Vice, through varied attacks and systematic defense also secured multiple varsity wins against Yeshiva, Hunter, Army, and Stevens. Osiris employed consistent distance and fast footwork to secure wins against Yeshiva, Hunter, Army, and Stevens as well as bringing an NJIT fencer to 4-5. In total, the only school Men’s Foil did not score a victory against was NJIT, a very strong season finisher as the squad prepares for Championships in two weeks.

Epee

W&M men’s epee clocked in and returned to John’s Hopkins again. The squad, composed of Henry “Falcon” Hermes, Eric “Helios” Montesi, Nolan “Titan” Coughlin, and Armin “DOW Jones” Bagha, demonstrated another electric performance, going 3-2, beating Yeshiva, Hunter, and the United States Military Academy. Henry’s reach and magnetic aim towards his opponents hand helped propel him past the competition. In his first competition, Eric demonstrated agility and speed that most were unable to keep up with. Nolan and Armin return with their consistently electric performances, utilizing speed, counters, and infights through incredibly dynamic plays. The team demonstrated their hard hat mentality and grit, performing well and having a blast while doing so, solidifying their position amongst professionally coached varsity programs. Their night concluded with a much warranted reward to the Fredericksburg Applebee’s to enjoy two entrees at $25. The squad had a blast, and looks forward to competing and cementing their place in the completion at MACFA champs.

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MACFA

MACFA AvC 2023 Recap

The team huddles for a cheer before the tournament

Men’s Foil

Men’s foil gave yet another strong performance at MACFA AvC, once again proving all of the haters wrong. Nick ‘Osiris’ Reeder ‘24, Thomas ‘Vice’ Mahnken ‘24, Zeerick ‘Coyote’ Malik ‘23, and Frank ‘The Judge, Jury, and Executioner’ Prather ‘25 showed up with one thing collectively on their minds: victory. Osiris taught the opposition a thing or two about counterattacks, scoring win after win with quick movements and perfect positioning. Vice’s blade was a blur during his bouts, with his impressive blade control causing him to slip through his opponents’ defenses with ease. Coyote’s strong fundamentals and unpredictability earned him yet another varsity win. Judge didn’t win a single bout, but I’ll be damned if he wasn’t looking good while losing. Such a promising performance has the men’s foil team rearing and ready to go for the remainder of their season.

Women’s Foil

Right to left: Deborah Ho, Caroline Yu, Gwyneth Smith, Lucia Kasper

Lucia “Gecko” Kasper ’24, Karino “Jasmine” Gibson ’24, and Deborah “Prism” Ho ’26 utilized the power of teamwork to fiercely fence their foes. Jasmine’s use of speed and agility gave her challengers a fright as she scored on varsity fencers. Prism used her master blade work to bamboozle her varsity opponents. Gecko employed expert footwork and scared the varsity fencers with her lizard-like agility. All three women’s foils scored wins against varsity fencers.

Men’s Sabre

Making an explosive start of the semester, mens sabre did very well at MACFA AvC. Evan “Duke” Jackson ‘25 and Christopher “Claymore” Zane ‘25 both won their first bouts against varsity schools! Their devilishly handsome captain Michael “Slate McCoy: Noir Detective” Zessin ‘25 led the squad to victory over Rowan, Yeshiva, and Cornell, while going 4-5 with Lafayette. After getting a taste of blood, mens sabre is hungry for more!

Women’s Sabre

Katie “Sparrow” Richardson and Caroline “Sigil” Yu slid into this semester with renewed fierceness. Sigil performed smashingly in her first collegiate tournament, securing some beautifully timed touches for W&M. Sparrow slashed through a victory against Rutgers, and used her epee skills to her advantage against Navy that would make her epee teammates proud. Sigil and Sparrow enjoyed this tournament and are looking forward to more tournaments in the future!

Men’s Epee

W&M men’s epee showed up to John’s Hopkins with an absolutely amazing performance. The squad, composed of Jake Schapiro, Nolan Coughlin, and squad captain Armin Bagha went to work, improving on their performance from last year, and going 4-1, beating Rutgers, Lafayette, Rowan, and culminating in an electric win against Drew University. Jake’s counters and flèches shut opponents down. Nolan’s foot touches and unstoppable remises left opponents without a chance to counter. Armin’s flicks and infights helped seal the deal, helping to propel William and Mary as serious contenders alongside professionally coached varsity programs. Their nights ultimately concluded without a trip to a local Applebee’s unfortunately. Maybe that’ll change next time. The squad had an absolute blast, and look forward to having as much fun and repeating an incredible performance at their next competition.

Women’s Epee

The first tournament of the Spring 2023 semester got off to a great start for William & Mary’s women’s epee squad. Consisting of Gwyneth “Penne” Smith ‘23, Sarah “Tarot” Gresham ‘25, and Rebekah “Opal” Gresham ‘25, they arrived at Johns Hopkins University ready to go. Gwyneth fenced in her last MACFA of her college career and was very satisfied with the results, as well as thankful for the opportunity to fence so many amazing schools over the past four years! Meanwhile, Sarah and Rebekah served up double trouble on the strip and managed to secure varsity wins while also putting out a strong showing overall. Overall, it was a good start to the semester, and with their showing, women’s epee left their opponents seeing double.

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MACFA

MACFA C Round Robin 2022 Recap

Women’s foil after a good tournament

Women’s Foil

Women’s foil absolutely crushed it in our first Collegiate tournament of the year! As a team they defeated 4 out of 5 varsity teams they fenced against. Debbie “Prism” Ho ’26 killed it with ferocity in her eyes in her first ever collegiate tournament with 8 varsity wins, and Angela “Luna” Liu ’25 displayed incredible talent and poise and she seamlessly obtained 6 varsity wins. Lucia “Gecko” Kasper ’24 utilized her lizard like sticky feet in defeating 12 varsity opponents. Overall women’s foil kicked some varsity butt.

Foil squad

Men’s Foil

Men’s foil started the year strong for the Macfa C Round-Robin. Nick ‘Osiris’ Reeder ‘24, Frank ‘The Judge, Jury, and Executioner’ Prather ‘25, and Zeerick ‘Coyote’ Malik ‘23 brought a strong performance to the first collegiate tournament of the year. Both Judge and Coyote had exceptional performances at their first ever collegiate competitions. Judge’s steadfast defense and long reach locked out many opponents. Using his consistent parries and solid defense to extend the bout, he brought multiple varsity A Strips to 4-4 situations. Coyote demonstrated his offensive skill while pushing his opponents and striking while they were off balance. Using this quick attack and timing, he secured his first varsity win against Navy and again against Swarthmore. Osiris took charge as the A strip, setting distance traps and lighting parry reposts to take down his opponents. With his high intensity and transition focused fencing, he swept both Swarthmore and Navy, as well as securing a win against UMD. As the semester comes to a close, men’s foil have the wind at their backs and are excited to take on the next set of collegiate tournaments.

Women’s Epee with Pulak Raj, an alumni

Women’s Epee

The women’s epee squad at MACFA C Round Robin 2022 was composed of Gwyneth “Penne” Smith ‘23 and Rebekah “Opal” Gresham ‘25. While initially meant to be a three person squad, the third member had to drop out at the last minute. Despite missing a person, Gwyneth and Rebekah persevered and even managed to beat two schools (Haverford and Navy) outright, even while forfeiting three bouts. Rebekah only dropped a single bout the whole day, and otherwise fenced her way through the other schools, amassing varsity wins. Gwyneth was proud of her performance, especially her victory over a Johns Hopkins fencer. They were assisted by Pulak “Basque” Raj ‘20, an alumni who came to visit and provided invaluable wisdom to the epee squad. Overall, it was a successful tournament for the two and they are looking forward to competing in more next semester!

Men’s Epee with Pulak Raj

Men’s Epee

At the first tournament of the season, Jake “Merlin” Schapiro ’24,  Henry “Falcon” Hermes ’25, Nathaniel “Pluto” Ingle ‘25, and Winston “Archer” Palmer ‘23 of Men’s Épée performed great. The squad defeated Haverford, a varisty team, and Swarthmore. With his swift disengages and ability to adjust, Merlin came back from a 4-0 deficit to win a bout against a University of Maryland fencer. Falcon wowed all with a beautiful prime against Haverford. At his first ever collegiate tournament, Pluto took advantage of his long legs and made explosive lunges. Aggressive as always, Archer overwhelmed his opponents. This squad has a fantastic future of tournaments ahead.

Sabre Squad

Women’s Sabre

Women’s Sabre, composed of Abigail “Valkyrie” Salzberg ’24 and Kelley “Ophelia” Wang ’23, put up a good fight at D’Arnstein Invintaional. Valkyrie, at her first collegiate tournament of the semester, and Ophelia, at their first collegiate tournament ever, both scored a varsity win against Haverford. Valkyrie also scored a win against Bryn Mawr. As a team, women’s saber overall tied with Swathmore, an amazingly rare result. Great performance and great learning experience, this event has encouraged them to keep on fencing.

Sabre squad outside the tournament venue

Men’s Sabre

Men’s Sabre, composed of Connor “Lancelot” Cassidy ’25, Evan “Duke” Jackson ’25, and Devon “Quasar” Keesee ’26, performed very well at the tournament. Lancelot swept all three Haverford fencers, and went on to beat one Navy and Swarthmore fencer each. He also managed to get an impressive flunge on the A-strip for Swarthmore. Duke and Quasar did exceptionally well at their first collegiate tournament, both getting their first varsity wins. Duke beat a fencer from Swarthmore through his use of quick box actions and clean footwork, along with coming extremely close to winning many other bouts. Quasar won two bouts against Swarthmore, making an impressive use of pulls to surprise opponents and get many touches.

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MACFA

MACFA AVC 2022 Recap

William & Mary’s first tournament of the second semester kicked off with a bang. Traveling to Johns Hopkins, the team had a full days worth of competition against five different schools, here’s how they did:

Epee

Men’s Epee, composed of a never before seen team of Armin “D.O.W Jones” Bagha ’24, Winston “Archer” Palmer ’23, Henry “Falcon” Hermes ’25, and Nolan Coughlin, went to work at AVC, with Winston’s incredible flicks, Nolan’s lighting speed fleches, Henry’s precise counter attacks, and Armin’s coaching and encouragement, the four showed the various club and varsity teams that they were competitors, beating Rowan, Cornell, and Lafayette, finishing the day with an overall positive record for their first competition of the semester. The future looks bright for this squad.

Foil

Men’s foil, Zahl “Kraken” Azizi ’22, Jeffrey “Ragnarök” Gu ’25, and Zach “Orpheus” Roberts ’22 were fired up and ready to compete at Johns Hopkins this weekend. Ragnarök showcased his formidable speed and bout control, scoring critical victories as the squad’s vanguard. Kraken demonstrated a powerful offense and broke through the defenses of his opponents, while defending himself through proper distance. Orpheus took a defensive approach, drawing opponents in before striking decisively, though he also made use of disengages to effectively misdirect the opposition. All members of men’s foil took home varsity wins and decisively routed Cornell and Rowan. They will keep their fire burning strong as they prepare for MACFA BvC next weekend.

Sabre

Mens Sabre, composed of Troy “Priam” Cullen ’24, Connor “Lancelot” Cassidy ’25, and Matthew “Flash” Lee ’23 fought hard at MACFA AvC. True to his kingly name, Priam scored a shocking win against Rutgers University, countering his opponent with royal authority. Ever the galavanting knight, Lancelot charged his opponents down the strip and secured some individual wins to boot. Speeding off the line faster than the eye can see, Flash also scored a few individual wins. Despite some minor injuries and weariness, the trio had great fun and gained some excellent experience against overwhelmingly superior foes. Who knows what the next tournament will hold for them?

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MACFA

MACFA C Round Robin 2021 Recap

After a year and a half of COVID-19, the William & Mary fencing team finally returned to collegiate fencing in late November, participating in the MACFA C Round Robin at Haverford. After socially-distanced practices and many tournaments being postponed or cancelled, the team was incredibly excited and grateful to have the opportunity to fence again. Facing off against Haverford, Navy, and Johns Hopkins University, W&M brought six squads in both genders. Each individual squad’s recap is as follows:

Men’s Épée

It was the first collegiate tournament ever for Jake “Merlin” Schapiro ’24, Nolan “Titan” Coughlin ’25, and Henry “Falcon” Hermes ’25 of Men’s Épée, but you wouldn’t know it from the way they fenced at MACFA Crr. With his explosive lunges and relentless pushing, Titan crushed it against four varsity fencers, two from Johns Hopkins and two from Haverford. Falcon, who only began fencing seriously at William and Mary, continued his streak of having won a bout at every tournament he’s ever fenced in, making use of his long reach and long legs. Merlin snagged two varsity wins, both against Haverford, including one that went into priority; employing quick parries and lots of energy, Merlin was able to bring it home for the last WM bout of the tournament. Having acquired lots of experience, Men’s Épée is ready and excited to fence next semester.

Women’s Épée

For the first tournament of the semester, the women’s épée squad consisted of two fencers, Gwyneth “Penne” Smith ‘23 and Katie “Sparrow” Richardson ‘24. This was Sparrow’s first ever collegiate tournament and Penne’s first since early 2020. The two were happy to get back on the strip and grateful for the opportunity to fence after a year of COVID. While Johns Hopkins University proved to be a tough opponent that they struggled against in the first round, both fencers found victories against Navy in the second. In the third, using precise footwork and a well-placed foot touch, Sparrow achieved two varsity wins against Haverford fencers – an amazing accomplishment for her first-ever tournament! Penne didn’t get a varsity win this time around but came close to it, bringing a Haverford fencer to 4-4. They worked well together as a team and are looking forward to competing in more MACFAs in the spring!

Men’s Saber

Men’s Sabre, comprised of Nickolas “Gero” Boylan, Michael “Slate McCoy: Noir Detective” Zessin, and Connor “Lancelot” Cassidy stormed MACFA Crr. At his first collegiate tournament Lancelot earned his first two varsity wins Vs. Haverford and Hopkins making use of his swift box actions and sharp decision making. Slate slid onto the strip and scored many touches, slicing through opponents parries with sensational blade actions, and saucy footwork. Despite an injured ankle, Gero was able to surprise opponents with his sly counter attacks and steadfast parries earning a varsity win against Hopkins. William and Mary men’s sabre learned a lot of great experience at this tournament and are excited for our tournaments next semester.

Women’s Saber

Women’s Saber, comprised of Cassandra “Calypso” Brackett and Clara “Jooniper” Magner, stormed MACFA Crr. At her first tournament, Calypso displayed a lot aggression and solid blade work, but sadly was injured as she was getting into her groove. Jooniper bravely avenged her fallen teammate and finished put the tournament alone, continuing to score against varsity fencers. This was a great learning experience for all and they’re hungry for more tournaments in the next semester.

Men’s Foil

Men’s foil squad, Zahl ‘Kraken’ Azizi, Jeffery ‘Ragnarök’ Gu, and Nick ‘Osiris’ Reeder, stormed Haverford for the first collegiate tournament of the tournament. Ragnarök settled in quickly, stomping across tournament, securing his first Collegiate win and then some. Kraken, smiling through sickness, slew opponents with consistent distance and powerful attacks. Osiris seized his first collegiate win with dramatic feints and precise parries.

Women’s Foil

The women’s foil squad may be made up of only two members but what they lacked in numbers they made up for in heart. Rachel “Tex” Vasan ‘24 and Lucy “Gecko” Kasper ‘24. While alternating between strip coaching/cheering on each other and fencing, both women were active and focused throughout the whole tournament. Tex displayed incredible adaptability throughout the tournament and Gecko used speedy attacks against her opponents. Together the two fenced valiantly against JH, beat the Navy team with just enough wins, and gave Haverford a run for their money with 2 varsity wins from Gecko and excellent fencing from Tex. Both look forward for future events to come!

The team looks forward to the spring, where the tournament season will kick off in full swing! Stay tuned for more recaps and check us out on Facebook and Instagram!

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MACFA

MACFA Championships 2020 Recap

Last weekend, the William & Mary men’s fencing team traveled to Drew University for MACFA Championships.  As a 3-weapon team, W&M finished 10th.  At the end of the event, the coaches from the other schools presented William & Mary with the team sportsmanship award.  Ironically, last year’s recipients failed to bring it to the tournament.  Nonetheless, our team was honored to receive the award.  Here are the results for each individual squad.

Saber:

After their outing at MACFA BvC, Michael Zessin ’23, Matthew Dreher ’20, and Nickolas Boylan ’22 returned to New Jersey to take on opponents at MACFA Championships.  Michael fenced C strip and caught many opponents off-guard with his decisive bladework.  He improved throughout the day and had great success with his aggressive searches.  As B strip, Matthew used his long reach and quick footwork to catch his opponents.  After falling behind 0-4 against Army, Matthew launched 5 aggressive attacks, each slightly longer than the last, to complete his comeback victory.  Matthew fenced at every MACFA event this year and managed to make connections with fencers from many other schools.  A strip Nicko took 9th place among A strip fencers and managed to go toe to toe with numerous varsity opponents.  Steven Pressendo ’20 was unable to fence but provided vital strip coaching to our fencers pointing out weakness in opponents and helping our fencers to correct theirs.  Saber squad would also like to thank our alumni for their support and advice, which mean a lot to all members of the squad.  Men’s saber took 10th overall and is excited for the Virginia Cup!

Épée:

Ben Witman ’20, Winston Palmer ’23, and Greg Quigg ’21 competed as épée squad for this tournament.  Ben started out the day off right, earning his first varsity win as an epeeist in priority against Yeshiva.  Ben used his parries to clear his opponents’ blades and score impressive touches against many varsity fencers.  Winston used his well-timed counterattacks and aggressive fencing style to his advantage at his first ever MACFA Championship, racking up another varsity win against Hunter College.  Greg used his explosive advance lunge to his advantage to get back-to-back wins against both Navy and Army’s A strips.  Overall, men’s épée had a solid performance at MACFA Championships, and are looking forward to fencing in the Virginia Cup!

Foil:

Men’s foil put on a great performance at MACFA Championships, finishing 8th out of 15 total schools, placing them above several varsity schools.  Matthew Cusick ’20, Stuart Thomas ’21, and Faisal Al-Alami ’20 all fenced well and even going undefeated against schools like Army and Yeshiva.  They earned solid individual wins against varsity opponents, a sign of their continued improvement.  Overall, Men’s foil is looking strong heading into their next competition.

 

Victories over Varsity Fencers:

MS: Matthew Dreher, Nicko Boylan

MF: Matt Cusick, Faisal Al-Alami, Stuart Thomas

ME: Ben Witman, Winston Palmer

 

This was our final event of the year where our team will compete against varsity opponents.  Throughout the season, 23 different W&M fencers earned victories over varsity fencers, including 7 fencers who earned their first.  For the full list of W&M victories over varsity fencers since 2012, click here.

 

Our team will next compete on March 21 and 22, when we host the Virginia Cup and look to defend our state title.  We will hold the tournament in Adair gym, with men fencing on Saturday and women fencing on Sunday.  For more details, see our Facebook event or email fencingwm@gmail.com

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MACFA

MACFA BvC 2020 Recap

Our men’s team traveled to NJIT for MACFA BvC.  Our final event of the MACFA regular season pitted our team against four varsity schools and the U.S. Military Academy.

Saber

Men’s saber left MACFA BvC with numerous varsity wins and a lot of valuable experience.  Matthew Dreher ’20, Michael Zessin ’23, and Nickolas Boylan ’22 took on NJIT, Stevens, Army, Yeshiva, and Hunter.  Matthew branched out from his usual weapon of foil and unleashed his unconventional but effective techniques to win bouts against Hunter, Yeshiva, Stevens, and Army.  In addition to scoring four varsity wins, Matthew kept the team’s spirits high with his positive attitude.  Michael immensely improved his fencing over the course of the year, and earned his first varsity win against Yeshiva through the use of his skillful pulls and quick blade work.  Nickolas won seven bouts, five of which came over varsity opponents.  Men’s saber is happy to have once again shown that in fencing, funding isn’t everything, and are excited for their next competition.

Foil:

Zach Roberts ’22 and Zahl Azizi ’22 represented men’s foil for this tournament.  Despite an injury Zahl sustained early on, he took on a coaching role, helping to analyze the patterns of opponents and giving valuable bouting advice to Zach.  Through Orpheus’s swift feint-disengages, a strong defense, and the calculated coaching of Kraken, he pulled off multiple victories against varsity fencers.  Zach led men’s foil to a 3-2 victory over Hunter College, sealing the school-wide victory for W&M.  Despite the lack of a full squad going into this tournament, men’s foil is ready to take on MACFA Champs at full strength.

Épée:

Roger White ’23, Winston Palmer ’23, Ben Witman ’20, and Pulak Raj ’20 had a great day representing Men’s épée at NJIT.  Winston fenced using his aggressive and overwhelming style to march his opponents down the strip.  Roger, fencing his first varsity opponents ever, won multiple varsity bouts by catching his opponents out with his explosive fleche.  Ben stepped in after Pulak fenced a few bouts against NJIT.  His strong parry 2s and stophits scored him many points and he improved constantly throughout the day.  After fencing all of their preliminary MACFA bouts, men’s épée is looking forward to making a statement at MACFA Champs.

 

After a weekend at home for the Conomikes-Gutenberg Memorial Open, our men’s team will head to Drew University on March 1 for the MACFA Championship!

 

Victories over Varsity Fencers (a full list of victories since 2012 can be found here)

MS: Matthew Dreher, Nicko Boylan, Michael Zessin (first)

MF: Zach Roberts (first)

ME: Roger White (first)

Categories
MACFA

MACFA AvC 2020 Recap

Last weekend, our team kicked off the spring semester with a trip to Johns Hopkins for MACFA AvC.  We faced a full day of competition, with our fencers competing against nine different schools.  Here is how each squad did.

Épée:

William & Mary Men’s Épée took MACFA by storm with a never-before-assembled roster of Pulak Raj ’20, Greg Quigg ’21, and Simon Yue ’22.  Greg displayed his increased arsenal of attacks and scored points on both the offensive and defensive ends of the strip.  However, in tight bouts, Greg’s stop hits and distance shined as he picked up many touches through manipulating his distance and his opponent’s perceived distance with him.  Simon fenced his first tournament in more than a year and surprised all his opponents with his controlled footwork and timing.  If an opponent dared to aggressively march him down, Simon would punish them immediately by attacking into their advance.  Pulak came into MACFA with low expectations due to his injured ankle, but he was able to take down his opponents with his crushing bladework and disengages.  He was unfortunately forced to medically withdraw towards the end of the day, but his teammates stepped up and nabbed some key wins. Men’s Épée scored multiple victories against every school, including the varsity schools, and is ready to keep up the momentum going into MACFA BvC

This tournament our Women’s Épée squad consisted of two fencers, Riley Aiken ’20 and Gwyneth Smith ’23.  Despite this being her first épée tournament, Riley performed very well, winning a bout against a varsity opponent and gaining points in all of her others through a mix of épée and saber technique.  This was only Gwyneth’s second épée tournament, but she managed to win three bouts, including her final one against a member of Drew’s varsity team.  Even though it was an unconventional squad, the two formed a good team and found it to be a successful tournament for Women’s Épée!

Foil:

Men’s Foil, consisting of Matt Cusick ’20, Stuart Thomas ’21, and Faisal Al-Alami ’20, had an incredible performance at MACFA AvC.  Overall, Men’s Foil finished 6-1, triumphing over Cornell, Rowan, TCNJ, Rutgers, Lafayette, and Maryland.  Impressively, all three fencers won against members of varsity teams.  This result marks a significant improvement since the MACFA C round robin of last semester.  Men’s Foil will head into MACFA Champs with renewed confidence.

Women’s Foil had a great weekend at Johns Hopkins!  Senior Elizabeth Sutterlin ’20 was joined at her final MACFA meet by juniors Jennifer Chen ’21 and Julianne Cook ’21. The squad faced some of its most difficult schools in the morning but rallied their spirits and went undefeated in the afternoon.

Elizabeth started the day with a morning bagel over one of Lafayette’s fencers, and learned from mistakes in her early bouts to improve her game in the afternoon.  She was happiest with her victory over Rutgers’ A-strip.  She relied on her strong defense and effective bladework to win against a difficult opponent.  Julianne picked up some crucial wins against varsity opponents. Her parry-ripostes caught her opponents off guard and she had a great bout against a Rutgers fencer.  Jennifer was the star of the day, expertly controlling the pace of each of her bouts while her opponents struggled to keep up.  She made it clear she was a threat to the competition as she racked up wins over both Navy and Drew’s A-strips. (Having spectator support certainly may have helped!)

The ladies finished the day with a spectacular win over Drew.  Each of the fencers pulled off some key victories, bringing up the bout score until the match came down to the ninth bout.  The pressure didn’t bother Jennifer, who handily ended the day with a 5-0 bout victory.  W&M Women’s Foil was thrilled to earn a match victory over a varsity program and show them what we were capable of.

Special thanks to Seth Daily ’19 for strip coaching and providing advice throughout the day!

Saber:

Michael Zessin ’23 and Matthew Dreher comprised the men’s saber team.  Michael had a respectable showing in his first MACFA tournament.  Over the course of the day with coaching from alumnus Robert Catlett ’18, MBA ’19, Michael’s fencing improved drastically with him scoring many touches with well-timed counterattacks and decisive actions in the box.  Matthew had finished the day with 7 wins, one being against a varsity fencer from Lafayette.  Though the competition was tough, men’s saber is eager for their next chance to compete.

Women’s Saber was excited to fence so many schools in our first tournament of the semester!  Madeline Myers ’20 used her distance and mental game to go from 1-4 to 5-4 in a bout against Navy.  She also won all three of her bouts against Haverford, a varsity school. Mary McCants ’21 used her off-the-line speed and tricky disengages to fool many opponents, including all three women from Navy.  Clara Magner ’23 continued to show improvement, building on her strong parry ripostes and even getting quick attacks as the day went on.  While Women’s Saber may be done with MACFA for the year, we’re still looking forward to the other tournaments the semester will bring!

 

Thanks to W&M Fencing alumni Robert Catlett, Seth Daily, and Will Bushman for coming to support our team!  Our team will be back in action on Sunday February 16, when our men’s squads head to NJIT for MACFA BvC.

 

Victories over Varsity Fencers (a full list of victories since 2012 can be found here)

  • MS: Matthew Dreher ’20
  • MF: Matt Cusick ’20, Faisal Al-Alami ’20, Stuart Thomas ’21
  • ME: Pulak Raj ’20, Greg Quigg ’21, Simon Yue ’22
  • WS: Madeline Myers ’20, Mary McCants ’21
  • WF: Elizabeth Sutterlin ’20, Jennifer Chen ’21, Julianne Cook ’21
  • WE: Riley Aiken ’20, Gwyneth Smith ’23
Categories
MACFA

MACFA C Round-Robin Recap

Our team traveled to Haverford College for the first MACFA tournament of the season!  At MACFA C Round Robin, our team faced varsity opponents from Johns Hopkins and Haverford in addition to Navy’s team.

Foil:

Elizabeth Sutterlin ’20 and Julianne Cook ’21 formed a composite team with one girl from Johns Hopkins University to round out the Women’s Foil squad. No one would have guessed that Julianne was returning to competition after a hand injury earlier this semester—she earned a varsity victory against a Haverford fencer, and won another tough bout over one of Navy’s fencers. Elizabeth came into the tournament hungry to see the results of her fencing’s growth since last year, and her performance did not disappoint! Elizabeth swept the Haverford squad and only dropped one bout all day. She is already looking forward to facing Hopkins’ full squad and a rematch with Navy’s A-strip at the next MACFA event in the spring.

Men’s Foil, consisting of Matt Cusick ’20, Stuart Thomas ’21, and Faisal Al-Alami ’20 fenced well at MACFA C Round Robin, coming close to beating both Navy and Haverford.  With overall scores of 4-5 against both Navy and Haverford, the tournament was full of fierce bouts where even a single victory could determine the match.  From an individual perspective, every fencer won bouts and Matt came close to winning two bouts against Johns Hopkins, only losing both 4-5. Stuart won a close bout 5-4 against one of Navy’s fencers.  Faisal’s best result came in a 5-1 victory over one of Haverford’s fencers.  The squad’s strong showings give Men’s Foil great confidence moving into next semester’s qualifiers.

Épée:

Women’s Epee brought a two-person squad comprised of Morgan Blackwelder ’21 and saber fencer Madeline Meyers ’20.  Our fencers formed a composite squad with a fencer from Johns Hopkins and set out against a tough roster of opponents.  Morgan used her patient style of fencing to bait and pick off opponents with her counterattacks.  Madeline called upon her saber experience to come out aggressively.  Her speed threw off her opponents and scored many a touch.  Overall, they fenced well and look forward to their next chance to compete.

On a breezy November weekend, Gregory Quigg ’21, Benjamin Witman ’20, and Winston Palmer ventured North to Haverford, PA for the MACFA C Round-Robin Event, ready for action. Greg used his long reach and even longer experience to stay calm, cool, and collected against strong varsity squads, netting several victories again varsity and club teams alike. Ben, fueled by love for the sport, used his patience and mental fortitude to outlast opponents and make them beg for every point. Winston laughed at opposing fencer’s preps and attacked without hesitation, netting himself a clean, first varsity victory over Haverford. Armed with knowledge and more experience, men’s epee returned to William & Mary ready to prepare for the Spring.

Saber:

Women’s Saber enjoyed their first MACFA tournament of the year, fencing both Haverford and Navy.  Clara Magner ’23 showed great improvement through her effective parry ripostes.  She earned her first ever tournament win and her first win over a varsity opponent this weekend!  Mary McCants ’21 used quick extensions to catch her opponents off guard.  Riley Aiken ’20 also fenced well, relying on strong parry ripostes and marching her opponents down with powerful long attacks.  The squad looks forward to attending more MACFAs in the spring, and continuing to improve while having fun.

After a series of illnesses and injuries sidelined most of the men’s saber squad, foilists Zahl Azizi ‘22 and Matt Dreher ‘20 joined Nicko Boylan ‘22 for the first MACFA of the year.  Despite having little saber experience prior to the event, both foil fencers secured wins over varsity opponents and carried great attitudes throughout the day.  Matt opened the day against a strong opponent who had previously earned bronze in MACFA Championships. Despite losing the bout 4-5, Matt’s crafty parry ripostes showed the other schools that he would be no easy opponent.  In his next bout, Matt found himself down 1-3.  Undeterred, he came storming back with a sequence of long marching attacks that earned him his first win over a varsity saber fencer.  Zahl’s bouts against Haverford showcased his aggression.  His attacks into preparation intimidated his opponents, which set Zahl up to patiently push his opponents and earn his first varsity win!  Against Johns Hopkins, Zahl surprised his opponents with speedy parry ripostes.  After triumphing over varsity opponents from both Haverford and Johns Hopkins, Zahl cemented his status as a W&M saber fencer when he too had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury.  Nicko’s best fencing came when he took on Navy.  Inside the box, Nicko’s varied setups allowed him to sneak attacks into preparations from unsuspecting opponents.  On defense, Nicko showed great control over the touches.  After repeatedly scoring with his trademark counterattacks, Nicko switched to fake counterattacks, sealing the bouts with his strong parries.

 

Victories over varsity fencers

  • MS: Zahl Azizi (first), Matt Dreher
  • MF: Matt Cusick, Stuart Thomas, Faisal Alami
  • ME: Winston Palmer (first), Greg Quigg
  • WS: Clara Magner (first), Riley Aiken, Mary McCants
  • WE: Morgan Blackwelder
  • WF: Elizabeth Sutterlin, Julianne Cook