UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Columbia fencing went a perfect 11-0 at the Penn State Invitational Sunday. The Lion women were 6-0, while the men went 5-for-5 in their contests. The women improved to 22-1 in dual matches, and the men move to 19-2.
Ethan Kushnerik paced the men with an 11-1 record in epee, while
Jackson McBride was 11-4 in sabre. For the women,
Zander Rhodes went a perfect 12-0 and
Carolina Stutchbury was 11-1 in foil, and
Sumin Lee posted a 10-2 mark in epee.
In round one, the men had a hard-fought battle against Penn and used 5-4 victories in foil and epee to edge the Quakers, 14-13. Stuchbury's 3-0 mark against Penn guided women's foil to a 7-2 weapon win and a 16-11 overall result to kick off the day.
The Lions flexed their muscles in the second round, easily topping Haverford, 24-3, on the men's side and sweeping the women's matchup, 27-0.
The women continued to roll against the Nittany Lions with a 21-6 victory.
Madison Four-Garcia (sabre),
Mina Yamanaka (epee), along with foilists
Evelyn Cheng and Rhodes, all went undefeated. Men's epee proved to be the difference in a 16-11 victory against Penn State. Kushnerik and
Luka Loncar swept through their bouts.
Both teams powered past Wagner after a men's 21-6 triumph and a 23-4 romp by the women. Men's foilists
Bogdan Hamilton,
Ethan Xiao and
Zachary Zusin blanked the Seahawks to highlight the victory. Women's foil also went unblemished with
Evelyn Cheng,
Zander Rhodes and Stutchbury running the table.
North Carolina's men put up a tough fight in the men's finale. However, Kushnerik and
Skyler Liverant's 3-0 records lifted epee to a 7-2 win to give the Lions enough breathing room in a 15-12 decision. Women's foil dominated again with a sweep against the Tar Heels with
Sofia Gaydos teaming up with Rhodes and Stutchbury to lift the Lions to an 18-9 win.
The women wrapped things up with a 20-7 win over Temple. Foil was dominant once again, winning 8-of-9 bouts.
Columbia has one final tune-up before Ivy League Round Robins next Sunday, February 2, when it competes at the Brian Palestis Memorial, hosted by Wagner. The Lions will face Vassar, St. John's and the Seahawks, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
For the latest on Columbia's fencing programs, follow @CULionsFencing on
Twitter and
Instagram and the web at
GoColumbiaLions.com.
PENN STATE INVITATIONAL | JANUARY 26, 2025
TEAM RESULTS
Men
Columbia 14, Penn 13
Columbia 24, Haverford 3
Columbia 16, Penn State 11
Columbia 21, Wagner 6
Columbia 15, North Carolina 12
Women
Columbia 16, Penn 11
Columbia 27, Haverford 0
Columbia 21, Penn State 6
Columbia 23, Wagner 4
Columbia 19, North Carolina 8
Columbia 20, Temple 7
