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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.

Women!!!!!!
Categories
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.

Categories
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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Senior Send Off

Senior Sendoff and End of Spring 2021

(Seniors receiving their gifts, from left to right: Morgan “Ghost” Blackwelder, Eva-Mariam “Willow” Ssekibenga, Greg “Twain” Quigg, Cassandra “Kalypso” Brackett, Jennifer “Muse” Chen, and Mary “Prim” Mccants, ’21)

As May draws to a close, it brings with it both the end of William and Mary’s spring semester and the graduation of the Class of 2021 seniors. The spring season for the William and Mary fencing club is also over, and marks the first season in many years in which the team has not attended a single tournament, or even fenced a single bout. However, as vaccinations become more widespread and COVID-19 restrictions ease, it seems as though the team will return to a normal fencing schedule in the fall. At the very least practices will return to their normal schedule, and once travel restrictions are lifted, hopefully the William and Mary fencing team will be on their way to competing again as well!

IMG_2963 (Seniors distributing advice, from left to right: Cassandra “Kalypso” Brackett, Stuart “Zest” Thomas, Greg “Twain” Quigg, and Julianne “Hazel” Cook, ’21)

Right now, though, it is most important to recognize the contributions of the seniors on the team who have now graduated. On the last day of classes, the team gathered together to celebrate our seniors and also the end of the season as a whole. Organized by our social chairs, each senior received a personal gift to thank them for their time on the team. After receiving their gifts, they administered advice to individual members of their squads, before addressing the team as a whole. It was a wonderful senior send-off before moving on to the rigors of exams and graduation, and voting in our new executive board.

To the class of 2021: thank you for the time you have spent with the team! William and Mary fencing wishes you the best of luck in your future endeavors whether in Williamsburg and beyond. And to everyone else reading, whether a member of the team, alumnus, or anyone else: thank you for supporting the William and Mary fencing team throughout one of its most unusual semesters. Admittedly there has not been much content to update this blog with for the past year, but look forward to the fall where we will hopefully be able to resume our normal activities with lots of fencing to follow!

For more information, contact us on Facebook or send us an email at fencingwm@gmail.com!

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Recaps

Start of spring 2021 semester and team update

As the spring 2021 semester begins and more students begin to return to campus, the William & Mary fencing club is also returning to action! Practices started up this past weekend now that most juniors and sophomores have returned to campus, and both sessions of practice were well-attended. While there have been few changes to team protocol regarding social distancing and mask-wearing, team members are grateful to be able to practice at all and hopeful for the gradual return of tournaments and bouting.

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The fencing team is still practicing every Friday (4 – 5:30pm) and Saturday (2 – 3:30pm) in the basement of Kaplan Arena. And just like last semester, practices are still 45 minutes long and consisting of only eight people at a time. The members of the team have had plenty of time to get used to this new format and are now taking advantage of the time to improve footwork, stamina, and control. The addition of new practice equipment that the team acquired last semester, like the targets, has also made practice easier and more enjoyable. As well as that, the club has also managed to attract new members since the fall who, despite the limitations placed on practices, are eager to learn more about the fencing and become part of the team.

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Ultimately, it is a shame that this update could not be a longer one. Usually the spring would be full of tournaments and travel, and new and old members alike would practice every day to hone their fencing skills. While it is unfortunate that this semester be different, the fencing team is still doing its best to stay as active and close-knit as ever this semester. Small-group social events, bigs and littles, and Zoom calls between current fencers and alumni attempt to fill the gaps left by COVID-19. It is yet another strange semester coming off the heels of a very strange year, but we will do what we can to preserve William & Mary’s fencing community!

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For more information on the William & Mary fencing team, email fencingwm@gmail.com or visit us on Facebook!

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Recaps

COVID-19 Update and Mid-season Recap

This has certainly been one of the most unusual semesters experienced by the William & Mary fencing team in many years. Normally, this post would be a recap of one of the many tournaments taking place in the fall. However, given that all tournaments are suspended until further notice, it will instead provide an update on how the team has been functioning amidst the pandemic. While this year’s schedule is obviously very different from those past, the William & Mary fencing team has continued to operate to the best of its abilities. The team has gained a number of new recruits with a wide range of experience, and practices are still happening this semester, albeit with new COVID-19 restrictions in place.

orpheus

Practices are still held in Kaplan as usual, now taking place every Friday (from 4-5:30pm) and Saturday (2-3:30pm). As the fencing room can only support eight people social distancing at one time, they have been divided into 45-minute sessions in order to allow more members the opportunity to practice. This means that members must sign-up in advance every week, and there are only a limited amount of slots available. As well as that, masks must be worn the duration of practice, and the room must undergo frequent sanitation.

targetpractice

However, this has yet to deter the team, as new and old members alike continue to show up ready to learn at every practice. In line with new COVID-19 guidelines, bouts are no longer allowed, so practice has adjusted accordingly. The team now focuses more on conditioning and footwork, and getting in shape for the (hopefully) upcoming tournaments next semester. As well as that, the team’s recently-acquired targets have helped fencers with their bladework and point control. Remember, never sacrifice precision and accuracy for speed!

primothy

Though this semester was likely not what anyone had anticipated, the team has done its best to adjust, and the bonds between teammates and the dedication to the sport remain strong. Hopefully the fencing team will return strong next semester with regular practices and tournaments resumed; for now, please enjoy this unconventional recap during unprecedented times!

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For more information about William & Mary fencing team and how we’re operating this semester, contact us at fencingwm@gmail.com or check us out on Facebook!

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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