The North and South boys’ and girls’ fencing teams are coming into the homestretch of their seasons, and each team has the chance to finish off strong. The North and South boys’ and girls’ teams will all fence at the district tournament at North Hunterdon High School on Saturday, February 2, starting at 9 a.m.
“It’s the biggest tournament of the season,” North coach Gail Kedoin said. The teams’ performances in the tournament will determine whether they qualify for individual, squad — epee, foil, or sabre — or team championships.
Both North and South are looking good heading into the tournament. North’s boys’ and girls’ teams both have 8-2 records. The girls placed third out of 48 teams at a state tournament earlier in the season, while the boys placed seventh.
The boys’ team stands out for its youth. Michael Miller is the only senior on the 18-fencer roster. Seven juniors, five sophomores, and five freshmen comprise the rest of the team.
While youth and inexperience can be a hindrance, Kedoin said it has been beneficial for her squad.
“They’re doing great now, but we’re going to be really excellent in another year or so,” she said. “Every meet, they’re just getting stronger and stronger. They have all of the confidence in the world, and they’re just going to get even better.”
She said junior sabre fencer Michael Leung, sophomore foil fencer Dylan Pyne, and freshmen epee fencers Prashant Baliga and William Zhang have been key this year.
“This sport is like chess,” Kedoin said. “The more you play, the better you are. You improve as you gain more and more experience.”
On the girls’ side, Kedoin said junior sabre fencer Elysia Wang and sophomore sabre fencer Katie Khaw help anchor the team. Both girls have only one loss on the season. Sophomore epee fencer Tanvee Varma and sophomore foil fencer Janet Fan have also excelled.
Varma had never fenced epee before this year. Kedoin said she switched over from foil, which can be a difficult transition. With foil, the fencer can only hit his or her opponent’s torso with the point of the blade. Kedoin said it is a “right of way” blade — whoever gets the first touch is rewarded with a point.
Epee, however, is different. The fencer can hit any place on the body with the point of the blade. There is no right of way, so if both athletes get a touch, they each receive a point.
“She’s been doing very well,” she said. “It can be confusing. With foil, you’re used to picking up the blade and getting the right of way. Your instinct is to block the blade first. It takes time to get used to the timing difference, but she is transitioning really well.”
Both South teams are 5-3 approaching the end of the season, including victories over North on January 16. Standouts in sabre for the girls are Dana Kong, Jennifer Ling, Amanda Hu, and Roxana Mitrut. Kristen Kemnitzer, Jade Rowland, and Melissa Mischell head the foil squad. Adrienne Cardulla, Angela You, and Mariya Zhdanova have been solid in epee.
As a freshman, Rowland has been exceptionally solid. She put forth a clutch 14-0 performance at the state-wide Santelli Tournament on January 6. She helped the girls to a 12th-place overall finish out of 48 teams.
For the boys, Stefano Lucchetti, Sam Lorenz, and Kevin Gao make up the sabre squad. Bryce Mayor and Keve Sandor head the foil squad, while Wesley Yuan and Daniel Mixson have been solid in epee.
Lucchetti, Lorenz, and Gao anchor the team as a whole. Their sabre squad placed second at the state-wide Cetrulo Tournament on January 12, and the boys are hoping to stage a repeat in the post-season.
