Just before school started, four Brandeis fencers traveled to Wuxi, China, with Coach William Shipman to compete in the Absolute USA-China Collegiate Fencing Invitational. From Aug. 18-23, American, Chinese and Korean fencers faced off as well as traveled in Wuxi and Shanghai. In years past, South Korea hosted this event, then known as the Korean-USA Elite Fencing Invitational, but this was the first time the event was held in China.
The competition includes men and women fencers from foil, saber and epee with fencers representing colleges in China, South Korea and the United States. American universities represented at the event include Harvard, Stanford and Northwestern. Brandeis was represented by recent graduate Sonya Glickman ’16, Nina Sayles ’17, Guillermo Narvaez ’18 and Kyle Berney ’17. Coach Shipman chose these fencers based on seniority, diligence and success over the past season.
When asked about the athletes’ performance, Coach Shipman said, “The fencers did meet our expectations … many of the fencers [at the competition] are among the very best in the U.S. But our fencers held their own… Only elite academic colleges are invited. We are the only Division III program there and are glad to be included.”
The program is set up as more of a cultural exchange and exhibition than tournament, with the first day scheduled for practice, followed by two days of individual competition and ending with two days of travel and sightseeing. All Brandeis fencers were eliminated in the first day of competition but fared well in their bouts.
“During the team event, I fenced for a Korean team, which was short a women’s saber fencer. It was a great experience because the team was so welcoming, and they even gave me a Korean name,” Sayles recalled.
With the coming season in their sights, the men’s and women’s teams look forward to fencing at “our highest level possible, to perform well individually and as a team, to prepare well and to enjoy the competition, the practices and our teammates,” said Shipman.
The team suffered the loss of seven graduates from the men’s team and nine from the women’s team last season and look to their more seasoned returners to carry the weight, including Guillermo Narvaez ’18, Kyle Berney ’18, Hunter Stusnick ’18 and Eli Litle ’18 for the men’s team and Nina Sayles ’17, Joanne Carminucci ’19 and Liz Feller ’18.
As for the first-years coming in this year, Shipman said, “I do not know what to expect from most of our incoming fencers … We only ask them to apply themselves fully, work to develop their skills and compete with composure and effort.”
Overall, the team will look to develop their tactical and physical skills before the season starts in November.
