Fencing Brings Home 10 Top Eight Medals at January NAC
1/13/2015 10:50:00 AM | Fencing
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – USA Fencing's January North American Cup featured 10 members of the Columbia fencing programs bringing home top eight medals with 18 current and three past Lions combining for 26 top 32 finishes at the Salt Palace Convention Center over the weekend. Over 1,100 athletes, representing 40 states, competed for not only medals, but valuable national ranking points for the 2014 Senior, Junior, Cadet and Wheelchair World Championships Teams.
At the conclusion of the fourth day, Nzingha Prescod earned the highest medal of any current Lion in the Division I category as the senior captured bronze in the Women's Foil. Joining the Brooklyn, New York, native in the field of 109 fencers was junior Jackie Dubrovich and sophomore Sara Taffel, who placed fifth and 26th, respectively.
Taffel also took the strip in the Junior Women's foil along with classmate Jessie Laffey. In a field of 112 fencers, Laffey brought home bronze while Taffel also found herself on the podium in fifth place.
Lena Johnson competed in both the Junior Women's Sabre and the Division I Women's sabre. The first-year finished 11th in the junior and seventh in the Division I competition. Alumni Daria Schneider '10CC and Loweye Diedro '12CC joined Johnson in the Division I event. Schneider took home 14th, while Diedro finished 28th.
Sophomore Mason Speta's seventh-place performance in the Junior Women's Epee paced the three Lions out of the 11 fencers in the table. First-years Katie Angen and Audrey Yun finished in the top-20 with 11th-place and 19th-place finishes, respectively. Amy Tong was the lone fencer in Columbia blue to compete in the Division I Women's Epee. The rookie placed 17th out of 139 competitors.
Tong and Angen paired up with sophomore Vivian Rand in the Women's Epee Team tournament. The trio defeated NYU's team, 45-31, and put on a strong fight against the New York Athletic Club's squad, but ultimately fell, 40-41, to take home silver.
Will Spear highlighted the Lions' men as the senior sabre fencer defeated the 10th-ranked fencer in the world, Daryl Homer, 15-13, to advance to the quarterfinals. In the next round, he lost to Columbia's 2008 NCAA Champion and his brother Jeff Spear '10CC, to earn an eighth-place finish. The elder Spear went on to capture silver. Junior Geoffrey Loss also competed in the Division I Men's Sabre and was just outside the top-8 with a 12th-place finish.
Three Columbia fencers took the strip in the Junior Men's Foil. First-years James Sands and John Avendano turned in 12th- and 19th-place showings, respectively, while Drew Johnston's 17th-place finish rounded out the trio. Johnston (9th) and Avendano (17th) also competed in the Division I Men's Foil along with rookie Harry Bergman (10th).
Juniors Jake Hoyle and Brian Ro rounded out Columbia's top 32 finishes in the Division I Men's Epee. Out of a field of 253, Hoyle earned fifth place, as Ro took 27th.
Columbia returns to its collegiate schedule Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Penn State Invitational. The Lions will face competition from Penn Sate, Haverford, Temple, Duke, Drew and North Carolina.
Columbia's Top 32 Finishes
Junior Women's Epee (111 Fencers)
Mason Speta – 7th
Katie Angen – 11th
Audrey Yun – 19th
Division I Women's Epee (139 Fencers)
Amy Tong – 17th
Women's Epee Team (3 Teams)
Vivian Rand, Amy Tong, Katie Angen – 2nd
Junior Women's Foil (112 Fencers)
Jessie Laffey – 3rd
Sara Taffel – 5th
Division I Women's Foil (109 Fencers)
Nzingha Prescod – 3rd
Jackie Dubrovich – 5th
Sara Taffel – 26th
Junior Women's Sabre (84 Fencers)
Lena Johnson – 11th
Division I Women's Sabre (97 Fencers)
Lena Johnson – 7th
Daria Schnedier '10CC – 14th
Loweye Diedro '12CC – 28th
Division I Men's Epee (253 Fencers)
Jake Hoyle – 5th
Brian Ro – 27th
Junior Men's Foil (153 Fencers)
James Sands – 12th
Drew Johnston – 17th
John Avendano – 19th
Division I Men's Foil (162 Fencers)
Drew Johnston – 9th
Harry Bergman – 10th
John Avendano – 17th
Division I Men's Sabre (142 Fencers)
Jeff Spear '10CC - 2nd
Will Spear – 8th
Geoffrey Loss – 12th
Players Mentioned
