Categories
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.

Categories
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.

Categories
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.

Categories
USACFC

USACFC Championships 2024

4.13.24 – 4.14.24

Women’s Foil

After a stunning win at SIFA earlier this year, women’s foil arrived at CFCs ready to win some bouts. The TC Trio of Lucy  “Gecko” Kasper ‘24, Angela “Luna” Liu ‘25, and Karino “Jasmine” Gibson ‘24 all came eager to fence and kick butt. Women’s foil took 25th place in the team event, with all three fencers doing a great job. In the individual event, Gecko placed 29th out of 106 fencers, using her unbreakable defense to parry any attack and beat up her opponents. Luna fenced with patience and grace, winning many bouts. Karino looked to have cast hexes upon her opponents, defeating one unwitting fencer 5-0 in a team bout. Women’s foil delivered a gutsy performance at CFCs, and has a bright future ahead. We will miss Karino’s fearless leadership as president and Gecko’s infinite wisdom as co-captain, but even as they graduate, a new generation of women’s foil talent is ready to be unleashed on the competition, carefully trained up by our seniors and ready to put the hurt on all the schools they face.

Women’s Epee

Going into the Collegiate Fencing Championship tournament, Women’s epee had an incredibly strong team made up of Rebekah “Opal” Gresham ‘25, Sarah “Tarot” Gresham ‘25, and Anna “Lotus” Saal ‘27. On Saturday they showcased their speed and strength to the competition when all three won all bouts in their pools, with many overwhelming victories. All three went into direct eliminations with very good seedings and out of a tableau of 128, all three made it to the top 16 bracket. In the bracket of 16, Lotus fenced very hard against an opponent and showcased her dynamic parries and quick lunges. Although she ended up losing and placing 10th, the bout was very hard fought and Lotus displayed amazing fortitude and never-ending determination. Tarot advanced to the bracket of 8, in which she lost to an incredibly difficult opponent by only a couple of touches, ultimately placing 5th. Opal continued to sweep through the competition collecting wins until she was in the finals bout. She ended up having to fence an opponent that she had lost to last year in direct eliminations, but she refused to back down. In a bout that was neck-in-neck until the last period, Opal focused very hard, making multiple beautiful arm touches and perfectly timed parries. Despite the opponents best efforts to fleche and make touches, Opal won the bout by being even quicker and stronger, taking home the first place medal. On Sunday, despite all members being very tired and sore, women’s epee refused to lose. Similar to the first day, Opal used her speed and agility to land many arm touches and contentious in-fights, Tarot used her directional changes to bait and counterattack effectively against opponents, and Lotus used her patience to land perfectly timed parries and immaculate lunges against her opponents. They fenced Michigan State University and then Dartmouth College, winning both 5-0 and 5-1 respectively. In the semi-finals, they fenced the University of California Santa Barbara winning with an impressive 5-2 victory. The finals bout was against the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a tough opponent, but women’s epee fought and coached each other to an astounding 5-1 win. Lotus, Tarot, and Opal all fenced using their unique styles, extreme speed, and determination to bring home a first place team medal and trophy.

Women’s Saber

Elizabeth “Horizon” Lawless, Sophia “Barracuda” Lee, and Delia “Nightshade” Figlozzi came to the Collegiate Fencing Championships ready to do their very best! Barracuda and Nightshade, although drafted from foil, trained diligently and performed well in a new weapon environment. Nightshade, struck by illness, still stood her ground on the strip, scoring consistently and challenging any opponent that crossed her path. Barracuda’s speed and aggression consistently stunned foes. The two foilists learned much about the ways of saber in such a short time, and their skill and knowledge of the weapon dramatically increased over the course of the two day tournament! It was Horizon’s first experience at a collegiate tournament– her speed and phenomenal parries placed her in the top 32 for the individual event! Together, the three did very well and strengthened their friendship along the way.

Men’s Foil

In a break from last year’s tradition, Men’s Foil arrived at CFCs with a team of mens foilists. Arriving Saturday still tired from setup the night before, the trio of Jack ‘ Yeti’ Bratton ‘24, Nick ‘Osiris’ Reeder ‘24, and Thomas ‘Vice’ Mahnken ‘24 suited up so they could begin waiting for their flighted pools to begin as quickly as possible. Several hours later, they emerged from pools seeded 5th, 42nd, and 61st respectively. Vice would fall in the first round, Osiris would progress to the second round before being eliminated by #23, and Yeti would relentlessly plow through the bracket, only being stopped in the semi-finals. Sunday began just as Saturday had: with about 5 hours of sleep and confusion over strip assignments. Beginning the day seeded 11th, the squad’s first opponent was -BYE-, seeded 54th. After -BYE- failed to appear at the strip, the round was given the W&M. Their second opponent, University of Massachusetts Amherst (henceforth referred to as UMass) put up a valiant struggle which fencing historians have since likened to the final stand of the Spartans at the battle of Thermopylae. After a 5-1 loss in the initial bout, W&M would win the next 5 bouts, securing both victory and progression to the next round. Their third second opponent, University of Florida posed an even tougher challenge. Facing a 4-2 disadvantage after the first 6 bouts, all three fenced valiantly. Yeti secured a decisive 5-1 win, bringing the overall score to 4-3. Vice fenced what he described as “the best I have ever fenced since beginning college” in a bout that sadly was not recorded, evening the score at 4-4. Osiris, bringing it home, secured the win for W&M by winning the 9th and final bout of the round. Progressing to the round of 8, the next opponent was Cornell. The trio fenced intrepidly, but through a combination of soreness and the Cornell team being seeded 3rd, they were forced to accept defeat. As disappointing a loss as it was, the W&M Foil Dream Team™ would end the day placed 8th, a marked improvement over last year’s result and a result that all three graduating seniors can be proud of.

Men’s Epee

Men’s epee rocked up to CFCs with their sights set on victory as Armin “D.O.W. Jones” Bagha ‘24, Jake “Merlin” Schapiro ‘24, Nolan “Titan” Coughlin ‘25, and Eric “Helios” Montesi ‘26 came to win bouts and have fun. Armin was all skill, cool and calculated as he dismantled his opponents. Jake’s counters and control of distance left his opponents befuddled. Nolan was powerful and precise as he dominated the competition. Eric used tempo and timing to break any defense. In the individual event, all of our boys dominated their pools, and everyone fenced hard in their DE bouts. Armin was finally unleashed upon CFCs, and kept up  the incredible form he has shown all season as he battled through injury to take 5th in the individual event. Going into the team event seeded sixth out of 37 schools, men’s epee carved their way through their first two opponents, dropping only two bouts. Tragically, they fell in a hard-fought series against Texas that went down to the wire, ending in a 4-5 loss. Hampered by injury and exhaustion, our boys left it all on the strip as they fenced off for placement, ultimately taking 8th in the team event. It was the last collegiate event for Armin and Jake, and our two seniors fenced brilliantly. Their great performances capped off the best season men’s epee has had in years. Armin’s words of wisdom and Jake’s angelic singing will be missed at future competitions, but their legacy of victory has the squad determined to continue winning at every event they go to. As a new era begins in men’s epee, the culture they established will continue to produce the hardest working, somewhat conditioned, most unselfish and stylish squad in Virginia.

Men’s Saber

Coming in hot off the heels of a strong performance at MACFA Champs, Men’s saber showed up and showed out, finishing in 14th place as a team. Evan “Duke” Jackson ‘25, Connor “Lancelot” Cassidy ‘25, and Ryan “Chronos” Rauscher ‘27 all fenced brilliantly at CFCs. Chronos used his massive frame and blinding speed on attack and defense to thrash his opponents, finishing 19th out of 142 fencers in the individual. Always calculating, Duke balanced aggression with clinical defense as he stayed one step ahead of his opponent’s tactics, knowing what they would do before they did it. Lancelot used his quickness in the box, strong parries, and the LanceLockout™ to befuddle his opponent, his unorthodox style proving too much for even experienced fencers to handle. Men’s saber finished the best season they’ve had in years by finishing 11 spots ahead of their CFCs result last year, showing vast improvement and promising great things to come, as everyone on the squad is returning, hungry for greater success. Vorp?

Categories
MACFA

MACFA Champs 2024

3.3.24

Men’s Foil

At MACFA Champs, Jack “Yeti” Bratton ‘24, Thomas “Vice” Mahnken ‘24, and Dale “Sandman” DeVinney ‘27 gave it their all, sweeping Hunter and Rowan on their way to a 9th place finish. Like he’s done all season, Yeti terrorized his opponents, controlling distance with ease to land superhuman counterattacks. Vice used his trademark bladework to dominate his opponents’ blades, and Sandman, competing at his first Champs, used speed and unorthodox tactics to baffle his opponents, taking several wins against varsity teams. In the individual event, Yeti took home 8th place, adding to an incredible run of medals in only one competitive season. After beating NCAA varsity teams all season, men’s foil is ready and excited to take on the collegiate clubs of USACFCs in a few weeks.

Men’s Epee

Fueled by delicious Italian subs, Nolan “Titan” Coughlin ‘25, Jake “Merlin” Schapiro ‘24, and Eric “Helios” Montesi ‘26 put on a strong performance at MACFA Champs. At his first Champs, Helios used speed and agility that few were able to defend against. In his final Champs, Merlin was as patient as ever, allowing him to get brilliant counterattacks and secure magical ripostes. Anchoring the squad was Titan, who, as always, dazzled with his dynamic flèches and automatic parries. With impressive performances across the board, Men’s Epee went 9-5 on the day and finished in 7th place, with each fencer taking several varsity wins. Titan and Helios both qualified for the individual tournament, where Helios took home the 8th place medal after upsetting the 4th seed in his first DE. Men’s epee showcased some great fencing at MACFA Champs, and are all looking forward to their final competition at USACFCs.

Men’s Saber

With Ryan “Chronos” Rauscher ‘27 on A strip, Connor “Lancelot” Cassidy ‘25 on B strip, and Nick “Osiris” Reeder ‘24 on C strip, the men’s saber squad put up their most successful champs performance in recent memory. Chronos used his clean form and creative tactics to win several bouts. His strong showing was enough to lead him on to the highly competitive individual tournament. Lancelot used his unorthodox style and leaps to be a dependable B strip, also winning lots of bouts. Despite primarily being a foilist, Osiris did exceptionally well, using his outstanding footwork to achieve many wins. Of the 14 other schools at the event, W&M beat 8 of them, putting them in the top half of the leaderboard, at 7th place. Of the 14 series of the day, their upset win against Rutgers had to be the most exciting. The other victories were against Lafayette, Army, Rowan, Yeshiva, Navy, Hunter, and UMD. With most of the schools in MACFA being varsity and having coaches, these impressive achievements bode well for the future of men’s saber, on top of an already exceptional season.

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NIWFA

NIWFA 2024

3.2.24

Women’s Foil

Lucia “Gecko” Kasper ‘24, Karino Gibson ‘24, Sarah “Medusa” Terpenning ‘27, and Delia “Nightshade” Figlozzi ‘27 each competed valiantly for women’s foil. Gecko did a bang up job using sneaky parry ripostes so extraordinarily that an opponent cried in anguish. She then proceeded to qualify for the individual event, finishing in the top 16 women’s foilists! Medusa’s decisive blade actions and fantastic footwork led her to victory in more than half her bouts at her second collegiate tournament! Karino fenced her heart out, consistently scoring against varsity fencers and winning 4 out of 7 bouts after proposing marriage to an opponent! Coming back from an injury, Nightshade fearlessly competed in her first collegiate tournament and won half of her bouts! Together the four fenced ferociously, putting their blood, sweat, and tears into their incredible defeat of 6 other teams! Go woil! 

Women’s Sabre

Katie “Sparrow” Richardson , Angela “Luna” Liu, and Sophia “Barracuda” Lee on C strip learned a lot about saber as they flew, slashed and got touches. Sparrow, a mostly epee fencer, carried the A strip with her speed and quick thinking. Luna and Barracuda, grafted from the foil squad, grew in their sabre skills as they won touches against club teams. Luna, in the B strip, kept cool and used her understanding of parries in addition to sabre speed. In the C strip, Barracuda, like machine learning artificial intelligence, improved throughout the tournament, increases her amount of touches against each team. Overall, the women’s sabre had a fantastic time bonding and learning a new weapon!

Women’s Epee

NIWFA champs! Sarah “Tarot” Gresham ‘25, Rebekah “Opal” Gresham ‘25 and Anna “Lotus” Saal ‘27 emerged from the team event with a whopping 40 victories, 89% win rate, and an indicator of +108. Defeating every other school (including numerous NCAA competitors), the W&M women’s epee team were responsible for a major upset through their defeat of the fifteen other competitors. All three had powerful individual win rates and indicators, allowing Tarot, Opal, and Lotus to all advance to the individual rounds (the only school to have all three of their epee fencers advance). In the table of 16, Opal defeated Lotus and placed sixth. Tarot had a strong performance that took her into the finals and a second place medal. With an impressive medal count and a trophy, W&M wepee has proved to be a dominating force this season!

Categories
MACFA

MACFA BvC 2024

2.18.24

Men’s Foil

Men’s Foil had quite an eventful time at MACFA BvC. Patrick “Apostle” Feagin, Jawand “Bronco” Singh, and Dale “Sandman” DeVinney made up the all freshman foil squad, and they gave their all against the fierce MACFA competition. Patrick and Jawand used their Epee skills to land decisive counterattacks and fleches in order to win valuable bouts, while Dale used every trick in his bag to land any touch he could. The real opponent, however, was not the collegiate fencers that Men’s Foil faced. Instead the real enemy was their own gear, as blades snapped, white lighted, and just gave up throughout the tournament. By the end, four of their five foils were broken and the boys were bouting on a single foil and a prayer. Regardless, Men’s Foil fought through the adversity and are looking forward to bigger and better things!

Men’s Sabre

William and Mary Saber did not mess around at Stevens Institute of Technology. Justin “Gizmo” Feira and Ni “Vulcan” Hao took their talents to Hoboken, New Jersey and fearlessly fought fellow club but mostly other varsity fencing programs. Leo “Viking” Wallace was slated to come as the third member of the sabre B team but unfortunately contracted a near fatal illness just days before the tournament. Our two remaining soldiers fought valiantly and managed to come away with a 5-4 victory against Hunter and two other narrow 4-5 defeats against Army and Yeshiva. The B team gained invaluable experience and is ready to come back better than ever next year.

Men’s Epee

Epee squad’s impressive depth was on full display at BvC. With the regular starters competing in Atlanta, the “B” team of Henry “Falcon” Hermes ‘25, Eric “Helios” Montesi ‘26, and Luke “Mojave” Miller ‘27, posted a 5-2 record against NCAA varsity teams, highlighted by an impressive 6-3 win over Stevens and a 9-0 sweep of Hunter. No hand was safe from Falcon’s precise flicks, and his long attacks kept his opponents on their toes when they grew wary of his counters. His cutting journalism during timeouts provided important information on the boys’s lunch orders. Helios used dominating parries and lightning fast redoublements to overwhelm his opponents, shutting down attacks and giving varsity opponents crazy work while flexing the coldest sock game in MACFA. It was Miller Time for Mojave at his first collegiate competition, as the freshman controlled his opponents with impeccable timing and distance. He was the only fencer to take wins against every school, promising greatness in the future. With a strong result at BvC, the Tribe’s epee dynasty shows no signs of slowing down.

Categories
SIFA

SIFA 2024

2.17.24 – 2.18.24

Women’s Epee

On February 17, William & Mary women’s epee defended their title as 2022 and 2023 SIFA champions. William & Mary women’s epee started Saturday out strong. In their individual event, Rebekah ‘Opal’ Gresham ’25 Anna ‘Lotus’ Saal ’27 both came out of pools with 5 victories each while Sarah ‘Tarot’ Gresham ’25 swept her pool with 6 victories. These three strong records allowed all three wepeeists to advance into the direct elimination round of only eight fencers. In the round of 8, tragic William on Mary violence occurred when Opal defeated Lotus to advance to the semi-finals and face Tarot. Tarot went on to the finals where she gained a decisive victory and the gold medal. Wepee’s strong performance in the individual event awarded them first seed in the team event, advancing them directly into the semifinals. From there, they defeated the University of Florida reaching the necessary 5 victories to advance with only 1 loss. Then, Opal, Tarot, and Lotus fought back from an initial 2 losses against the University of Georgia to win 5-3 in the finals. As if that weren’t impressive enough, this isn’t the first SIFA victory for W&M women’s epee. Opal and Tarot have led the team to victory for the third year in a row. Wepee is returning to Williamsburg victorious, with a bronze and gold medal in the individual event and 3 gold medals for their team performance.

Women’s Foil

On February 18, the Women’s Foil team won first place at the SIFA championships. Sarah Terpenning ‘27 and Kate Ingle ‘27 tied for 12th place, while Lucy Kasper ‘24 took gold in an intense bout against an Emory fencer. Following individual tournaments, the three girls pooled their skills together in the team tournaments. They managed to keep their cool as they fought through tough competitors, illegal calls, and unfair referees, ultimately leading to a victorious win for gold. This resulted in an overall SIFA win for the William & Mary Women’s Foil team, making it the first wins for freshmen Sarah and Kate, as well as senior Lucy Kasper’s final medal at SIFA champs.

Women’s Sabre

Women’s Sabre was victorious as they flew down the strips at SIFA! Karino Gibson ‘24, Angela ‘Luna’ Liu ‘25, and Debbie ‘Prism’ Ho ‘26, primarily foilists, tried their hand at sabre for the first time in a collegiate tournament. They each claimed their first sabre varsity wins.  The three fencers developed their understanding and sabre senses throughout the tournament and ultimately came in fifth place overall! 

Men’s Epee

Men’s Épée, comprised of Jake Schapiro ’24, Nolan Coughlin ’25, Armin Bagha ’24, took home gold at SIFA this year! Individually, Jake won fifth place, Armin came in second, and Nolan got first, with Nolan and Armin fencing off in an epic finals match. Deploying his parry 4-riposte against fleches, Jake won bouts against Emory and Kennesaw State. Nolan used his lightning reflexes to hit his opponents before they even had time to react. Coming through at the end, Armin used his speed and long reach to win the tie-breaking match against Kennesaw to get the team first place. Men’s Épée is thrilled with their victory and eagerly looking forward to MACFA Champs. 

Men’s Foil

Men’s foil brought the heat to Atlanta and the gold back to Williamsburg. Nick ‘Osiris’ Reeder ‘24, Jack ‘Yeti’ Bratton ‘24, and Thomas ‘Vice’ Mahnken ‘24 came first in Men’s Foil contributing to the overall William & Mary SIFA win. Yeti’s decisive distance also delivered him the individual gold medal! Osiris’s methodical marches cleared the way to a 5th place finish in individuals. Vice’s powerful parries clutched the final win against Emory to bring William & Mary gold. Men’s foil is looking forward to a rest week followed by MACFA champs!

Men’s Sabre

Men’s Sabre started off the season with an impressive performance in Atlanta earning each squad member their first medal at a collegiate tournament! Consisting of Connor “Lancelot” Cassidy ‘25, Evan “Duke” Jackson ‘25, and Ryan “Chronos” Rauscher ‘27, William and Mary’s Sabre squad fought tooth and nail against their fellow southern schools for a second place finish in the Southern Intercollegiate Fencing Association. Earlier in the day, Lance’s signature lockouts scored point after point for the team securing the second seed for the team event. In individuals, Duke’s tactical decision making and expert box actions earned him an 8th place finish, and Chronos’ lightning fast reflexes, Olympian-level blade work, and superhuman agility triumphantly carried him to the podium, bringing home bronze. Combined, the three showed off men’s Sabre as a powerful presence on the strip and a definite force to be reckoned with!

Categories
MACFA

MACFA AvC 2024

2.11.24

Men’s Foil

Foil started the competitive season strong with a decisive performance at MACFA A versus C. Nick ‘Osiris’ Reeder ‘24, Jack ‘Yeti’ Bratton ‘24, and Thomas ‘Vice’ Mahnken ‘24 brought home 5 school wins, dropping rounds only to Johns Hopkins and Cornell. Yeti kept his attacks clean and precise, bringing home wins against every school and sweeping every school in the back half of the day. Osiris marched his opponents down and kept them back with long attacks, bringing home a win against all schools but Hopkins. Vice’s parries held his opponents at bay, picking up multiple wins during the day.

Men’s Sabre

Men’s Saber starts the season with a solid performance beating 4 out of the 7 varsity teams. The team consisting of  Connor “Lancelot” Cassidy ‘25, Evan “Duke” Jackson ‘25, Ryan “Chronos” Rauscher ‘27, and  Justin “Gizmo” Feira ‘27 cemented itself as a serious contender amongst the other schools. All these fencers brought forth their own unique styles and talents on the strip which allowed them to decisively win many bouts to the surprise of  their opponents. Not only has this competition showcased the ability of Men’s Saber this year, but ignites a newfound fervor towards their performance in future collegiate events.

Men’s Epee

Men’s Épée, comprised of Jake Schapiro ’24, Nolan Coughlin ’25, Armin Bagha ’24, and Eric Montesi ‘26 gave it their all at MACFA AvC, fighting hard for every touch. Jake made good use of timing to defeat a Johns Hopkins fencer. With his characteristic long reach, Armin dominated his opponents, winning bouts against every school. Nolan deployed his trademark speed, hitting fencers before they could even react. Eric, a lefty, confused his adversaries and triumphed in all of his bouts. Men’s épée ended the day tired but excited for the next tournament.