Newest Group of Fencers Add Talent and Depth to Columbia Squad
8/11/2011 9:16:00 AM | Fencing
NEW YORK - Ten incoming first-years will join the Columbia fencing team for the 2011-12 season, it was announced recently. The group includes newcomers who have already established themselves as some of the best young fencers in the country.
"It is a good class that will add to our success in the upcoming year," head coach Michael Aufrichtig said. "Our incoming class will see new strength in the men's sabre squad and more depth in our men's and women's epee squads in particular, as our young team will have gained an extra year of experience."
The class also includes Geoffrey Loss, a recent Junior North American Cup winner, who will defer admission to Columbia until fall 2012.
The incoming class of 2015 follows, including some brief biographical notes on each fencer:
Raymond Cai - M. Sabre - CC - Livingston, N.J. - Livingston
Ranked 28th in the world among Juniors ... placed sixth in Junior men's sabre at 2010 Summer Nationals ... first place in 2010 Division 1A sectional qualifiers ... second place in Division III at the North American Cup B in 2008 ... reached the top 32 in Cadet men's sabre at the 2008-09 Junior Olympics ... captain of high school team that placed second in its district.
Sarah Caputo - W. Epee - BC - Montgomery, N.J. - Montgomery
Helped high school team capture the overall and team epee district titles ... competed in the Dallas North American Cup in 2011 ... comes from a fencing family ... father and brother both fenced at Princeton.
Natalie Gegan - W. Epee - CC - Culver City, Calif. - Culver City
Ranked 28th among Juniors ... placed 16th in Division I at the October 2010 North American Cup ... was 10th at the 2010 Junior Olympics ... won the November 2007 Cadet North American Cup ... also earned a gold medal at the 2011 Summer Nationals with the Under-19 women's epee squad.
Dianna Hohensee - W. Foil - CC - Nashua, N.H. - Nashua North
Placed 15th in Cadet women's foil at the 2009 Junior Olympics ... was high school's class valedictorian.
Michael Josephs - M. Sabre - CC - Chevy Chase, Md. - Bethesda-Chevy Chase
Ranked 25th among Juniors ... Cadet World Team member ... gained a silver medal in Junior men's sabre at the November 2010 North American Cup ... finalist at several Junior and Cadet North American Cups during the past year.
Emma Peterson - W. Epee - CC - Santa Monica, Calif. - Harvard-Westlake
Finished 2010 ranked 31st among Juniors ... helped women's epee team finish first at the 2011 Summer Nationals ... third in the Cadet division at the 2009 Summer Nationals ... also was third in Cadet women's epee at the 2008 Junior Olympics.
Will Spear - M. Sabre - CC - Wynantskill, N.Y. - homeschooled
Ranked first in men's sabre among U.S. Juniors ... fifth in the world ... member of the USA Junior World team ... placed sixth at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games ... helped the U.S. Senior National team win a gold medal at the 2011 USFA National Championships ... part of U.S. team that won gold at the 2010 Junior Olympics ... two-time member of the Cadet World team in 2009 and 2010 ... brother, Jeff, fenced at Columbia and graduated in 2010.
Andrei Tapai - M. Epee - CC - Brooklyn, N.Y. - Stuyvesant
Finished 2010 ranked 48th among Juniors in the world ... earned a bronze medal in Cadet men's epee at the 2009 Summer Nationals ... was fifth in Cadet men's epee at the 2009 Junior Olympics ... placed 14th in Junior men's epee at the 2010 Junior Olympics and 10th in the Cadet division.
Diana Tsinis - W. Epee - CC - Little Neck, N.Y. - Cardozo
Ranked 17th among Juniors ... has earned two top 16 finishes in Division I women's epee this season ... silver medalist for Team USA at the 2009 Maccabiah Games ... placed fifth in Cadet women's epee at the 2009 Des Moines North American Cup ... was third in Cadet women's epee at the Kansas City North American Cup in 2009.
Renyuan Yan - M. Foil - CC - Hong Kong
Captain of high school team ... ranked 29th at the 2008 Asian Varsity Fencing Championships ... placed in the top eight in both the Singaporean Inter-school Varsity competition in 2009 and the Singaporean Novices Fencing Championship in 2010.
Players Mentioned
