Fencing’s Dominant Performance to Open November

The men’s and women’s fencing teams opened November with top individual results at the Big One on Nov. 1 in Northampton, Mass., before the men began dual meets with a 4-1 finish at the Vassar Invitational on Nov. 9 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.  

The teams also participated in the Nikki Franke Classic in Philadelphia, Pa, which head coach Kristopher White believed was a tougher event than the Big One, but that means the players need to approach it the same as usual.  

“It takes more discipline to fence people on a ‘lower level’ than to fence people at the higher level,” said White.   

The men’s team excelled at the Big One. Freshman Tolga Aslan and sophomore Oliver Lindholm placed first and second, respectively, in Saber. Freshman Andrew Boulais followed with an eighth-place finish in Saber. In Foil, junior Chaissen Costello placed third and was followed by sophomore Alexander Ligos and senior David Belluomo, who placed seventh and eighth in the event, respectively. Sophomore Declan McAdoo came in fifth in the Epee category, giving the Pioneers seven top ten finishes combined across the three events.   

Having a group of fencers who finish high in the same categories is supportive for the whole team.   

“We push each other to work hard. It’s very beneficial to have such great fencers as your teammates,” said Costello.  

For the women’s group at the Big One, sophomore Jessica Murphy finished seventh overall in Saber. Sophomore Gabby Phelan finished eighth in Epee, with graduate student Nicole Dioh coming in 10th behind her. In Foil, sophomore Megan DePersis finished 18th, leading the Pioneers in the category.   

Murphy, being the only Saber competitor at the Big One, uses the independence to her advantage.   

“I was a little nervous to compete by myself, but honestly it just makes me focus more because even though there’s nobody there, you still have to work your hardest,” said Murphy.  

Murphy carried her momentum into the Vassar Invitational, where she had two 3-0 sweeps. Dioh also continued her hot streak with a 3-0 victory against Hunter College, and senior Grace Baranosky won two matches in Epee, also against Hunter.   

The women keep each other motivated and power through as a group to overcome difficult opponents, especially in the Vassar Invitational, where they faced both Hunter College and Fairleigh Dickinson University.  

“We do our best to be there for each other through highs and lows. We support each other when we’re feeling down, we celebrate each other when it’s going well. Everyone does their best to be there for each other,” said Murphy.  

At the Vassar Invitational, the men’s team reached a 4-1 victory, defeating Drew College, Lafayette College, Hunter College and Vassar College. Costello finished with a perfect 13-0 record at the event in Foil, along with Ligos and freshman Trey Plastaras going 3-0 twice in Foil as well. Boulais and freshman Jonathan Morales both went 3-0 in one matchup each in Saber. In Epee, sophomore Declan McAdoo had five 3-0 matches.   

“Usually, I try to have a good balance of composure and intensity when approaching every bout,” said Costello about his mindset going into each tournament and how he uses it to succeed.  

Athletic Communications contributed to this article.