Photo by: Columbia University Athletics
Fencing Brings On 12 Newcomers
9/9/2022 10:00:00 AM | Fencing
Lions add eight women and four men to the fold.
NEW YORK — As classes begin on Morningside Heights, Columbia fencing welcomed its incoming first-year class comprised of 12 student-athletes. Head coach Michael Aufrichtig has brought on eight women (four foil, two sabre, two epee) and four men (one foil, two sabre, one epee) hailing from seven states and one international competitor from Canada.
"We are excited to welcome twelve first years," stated Aufrichtig. "They all bring so much talent, experience and energy that they will undoubtedly help us in our goal of maximizing our team's potential. We look forward to creating magical moments together."
Details on the 2022 incoming class are listed below. The complete 2022-23 Columbia fencing roster can be found by clicking this link.
Evelyn Cheng
Foil | Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Cheng, who grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts, and attended Palo Alto High School in California, was a member of the 2020 U.S. Cadet World Team. She earned top-eight finishes at the 2021 and 2022 North American Cups in Division I. Cheng took gold at the 2020 Junior Olympics as a Cadet and claimed back-to-back bronze medals at European Cadet Cups in 2019 and 2020. She also placed in the top eight at the 2019 Cadet Summer Nationals.
Madison Four-Garcia
Sabre | Columbia College
Four-Garcia, who hails from nearby Cliffside Park, New Jersey and attended Horace Mann in New York City, completed the most recent Cadet season ranked fourth in the nation. She finished in the top 16 in Division I of the 2021 and 2022 North American Cups. Also, Four-Garcia took second in Cadet and posted a top-eight finish in Juniors at the 2021 NAC's.
Sofia Gaydos
Foil | Columbia College
A Manhattan native staying close to home, Gaydos racked up five individual medals (one bronze, three silver and one gold) and five team first-place finishes at the Spain Summer Nationals from 2019-22. Gaydos also helped her squad take eighth at the 2022 Junior World Championships and took first in the Division 2 foil at the 2019 NACs and silver as a cadet at the 2019 event.
Tamar Gordon
Sabre | Barnard College
Gordon is a decorated fencer who competed internationally with Israel from 2019-20 and currently represents Canada. She placed in the top 16 at North American Cups in January 2022 and competed at the 2022 Senior World Championships. She won a gold medal at the 2021 French Championships in the team event. In 2020, Gordan claimed third place at the Meylan Cadet European Circuit and Cadet European Championships and won gold at the Cadet Saber d'Or French Circuit.
Alexandra Jing
Foil | Columbia College
Jing, a product of Boston, Massachusetts, won a bronze medal at the 2021 Cadet World Championships. In 2020, she claimed gold at the Cadet Pan-American Games, placed second at the 2020 Cadet Junior Olympics and took sixth at North American Cups. Additionally, Jing was a four-time USA Fencing High School American (2018-22).
Pilar Maldonado
Epee | Columbia College
Maldonado, whose brother Julian competed with the Lions from 2017-20, is the third member of her immediate family to attend Columbia (mother Nina Perales graduated from Columbia Law School, father Javier graduated from Columbia College in 1990 and Columbia Law School in 1996). She posted a pair of top-32 results at North American Cups in April and May of 2021 and picked up a silver medal at the 2019 Y14 Summer Nationals.
Tierna Oxenreider
Epee | Columbia College
Oxenrider is a native of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, located just outside Columbus. In 2022, she competed at the Junior Olympics, claiming seventh place and ninth place finishes in the junior and division one competitions at the North American Cups. Oxenreider also posted four top-12 finishes in 2021 at the NAC's, National Championships and July Challenge. At the age of 12, she was the top-ranked fencer in her age group and took bronze at the 2018 US Junior Olympics for all age groups under 20.
Alanna Xue
Foil | Barnard College
Xue is coming off a Division II Championship at USA Fencing's Summer Nationals in 2022. At the event, she also finished in the top 32 in the Junior and Division I fields. The Lions' second Boston native in the class of 2026, Xue took third in Cadet and eighth in Junior at Wuxi Absolute International Circuit.
Bogdan Hamilton
Foil | Columbia College
Hamilton took bronze at the 2022 Junior Pan American Games and led the Canadian foil squad to a runner-up finish at the competition. The native of St. Louis was also a member of the Senior units at both events. He continued to earn solid results in other contests before arriving on campus, placing ninth at Junior Worlds and picking up a seventh-place finish in the team event. In 2021, he reached the podium with a bronze medal at the December North American Cups and earned fifth place at the Cadet World Championships.
Colby Harley
Sabre | Columbia College
Harley enters his collegiate career as the U.S.'s top-ranked Cadet and Junior in his weapon. Most recently, he earned a gold medal at USA Fencing's 2022 July Challenge. He took bronze at the Cadet World Championships and eighth at April North American Cup in 2021. Harley reached the top of the podium at the Cadet Pan American Games in 2020. That year, he continued his strong performances with a fifth-place finish at USA Fencing Junior Olympics and earned a spot in the top 10 at the January North American Cup.
Nick Harvey
Sabre | Columbia College
College Park, Ga. | The Westminster Schools
Harvey joins Columbia via College Park, Georgia and was a four-year letter winner in track & field. On the strip, he finished in the top-eight at Junior Summer Nationals in 2022, picked up a top-four finish at Senior North American Cups in 2021 and earned a top-16 result at the 2019 Senior Summer Nationals.
Skyler Liverant
Epee | Columbia College
Liverant was a member of Cadet World Teams in 2019, 2021 and 2022. The Brooklyn product helped the epee team claim bronze at the 2022 Junior World Championships. Liverant was the runner-up at the Division I Nationals in 2021 and 2022 and earned a silver medal at the 2021 Junior Nationals and bronze at Cadet World Championships. At the 2019 Cadet World Cup, his epee squad finished first, and Liverant went on to secure bronze individually.
For the latest on Columbia's fencing programs, follow @CULionsFencing on Twitter and Instagram and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
"We are excited to welcome twelve first years," stated Aufrichtig. "They all bring so much talent, experience and energy that they will undoubtedly help us in our goal of maximizing our team's potential. We look forward to creating magical moments together."
Details on the 2022 incoming class are listed below. The complete 2022-23 Columbia fencing roster can be found by clicking this link.
Evelyn Cheng
Foil | Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Cheng, who grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts, and attended Palo Alto High School in California, was a member of the 2020 U.S. Cadet World Team. She earned top-eight finishes at the 2021 and 2022 North American Cups in Division I. Cheng took gold at the 2020 Junior Olympics as a Cadet and claimed back-to-back bronze medals at European Cadet Cups in 2019 and 2020. She also placed in the top eight at the 2019 Cadet Summer Nationals.
Madison Four-Garcia
Sabre | Columbia College
Four-Garcia, who hails from nearby Cliffside Park, New Jersey and attended Horace Mann in New York City, completed the most recent Cadet season ranked fourth in the nation. She finished in the top 16 in Division I of the 2021 and 2022 North American Cups. Also, Four-Garcia took second in Cadet and posted a top-eight finish in Juniors at the 2021 NAC's.
Sofia Gaydos
Foil | Columbia College
A Manhattan native staying close to home, Gaydos racked up five individual medals (one bronze, three silver and one gold) and five team first-place finishes at the Spain Summer Nationals from 2019-22. Gaydos also helped her squad take eighth at the 2022 Junior World Championships and took first in the Division 2 foil at the 2019 NACs and silver as a cadet at the 2019 event.
Tamar Gordon
Sabre | Barnard College
Gordon is a decorated fencer who competed internationally with Israel from 2019-20 and currently represents Canada. She placed in the top 16 at North American Cups in January 2022 and competed at the 2022 Senior World Championships. She won a gold medal at the 2021 French Championships in the team event. In 2020, Gordan claimed third place at the Meylan Cadet European Circuit and Cadet European Championships and won gold at the Cadet Saber d'Or French Circuit.
Alexandra Jing
Foil | Columbia College
Jing, a product of Boston, Massachusetts, won a bronze medal at the 2021 Cadet World Championships. In 2020, she claimed gold at the Cadet Pan-American Games, placed second at the 2020 Cadet Junior Olympics and took sixth at North American Cups. Additionally, Jing was a four-time USA Fencing High School American (2018-22).
Pilar Maldonado
Epee | Columbia College
Maldonado, whose brother Julian competed with the Lions from 2017-20, is the third member of her immediate family to attend Columbia (mother Nina Perales graduated from Columbia Law School, father Javier graduated from Columbia College in 1990 and Columbia Law School in 1996). She posted a pair of top-32 results at North American Cups in April and May of 2021 and picked up a silver medal at the 2019 Y14 Summer Nationals.
Tierna Oxenreider
Epee | Columbia College
Oxenrider is a native of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, located just outside Columbus. In 2022, she competed at the Junior Olympics, claiming seventh place and ninth place finishes in the junior and division one competitions at the North American Cups. Oxenreider also posted four top-12 finishes in 2021 at the NAC's, National Championships and July Challenge. At the age of 12, she was the top-ranked fencer in her age group and took bronze at the 2018 US Junior Olympics for all age groups under 20.
Alanna Xue
Foil | Barnard College
Xue is coming off a Division II Championship at USA Fencing's Summer Nationals in 2022. At the event, she also finished in the top 32 in the Junior and Division I fields. The Lions' second Boston native in the class of 2026, Xue took third in Cadet and eighth in Junior at Wuxi Absolute International Circuit.
Bogdan Hamilton
Foil | Columbia College
Hamilton took bronze at the 2022 Junior Pan American Games and led the Canadian foil squad to a runner-up finish at the competition. The native of St. Louis was also a member of the Senior units at both events. He continued to earn solid results in other contests before arriving on campus, placing ninth at Junior Worlds and picking up a seventh-place finish in the team event. In 2021, he reached the podium with a bronze medal at the December North American Cups and earned fifth place at the Cadet World Championships.
Colby Harley
Sabre | Columbia College
Harley enters his collegiate career as the U.S.'s top-ranked Cadet and Junior in his weapon. Most recently, he earned a gold medal at USA Fencing's 2022 July Challenge. He took bronze at the Cadet World Championships and eighth at April North American Cup in 2021. Harley reached the top of the podium at the Cadet Pan American Games in 2020. That year, he continued his strong performances with a fifth-place finish at USA Fencing Junior Olympics and earned a spot in the top 10 at the January North American Cup.
Nick Harvey
Sabre | Columbia College
College Park, Ga. | The Westminster Schools
Harvey joins Columbia via College Park, Georgia and was a four-year letter winner in track & field. On the strip, he finished in the top-eight at Junior Summer Nationals in 2022, picked up a top-four finish at Senior North American Cups in 2021 and earned a top-16 result at the 2019 Senior Summer Nationals.
Skyler Liverant
Epee | Columbia College
Liverant was a member of Cadet World Teams in 2019, 2021 and 2022. The Brooklyn product helped the epee team claim bronze at the 2022 Junior World Championships. Liverant was the runner-up at the Division I Nationals in 2021 and 2022 and earned a silver medal at the 2021 Junior Nationals and bronze at Cadet World Championships. At the 2019 Cadet World Cup, his epee squad finished first, and Liverant went on to secure bronze individually.
For the latest on Columbia's fencing programs, follow @CULionsFencing on Twitter and Instagram and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
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