Fencing ends year at Mid-Atlantic Regional

The Hopkins men's and
women's fencing teams
have each had very impressive
seasons thus far,
both earning spots in last
Saturday's NCAA Mid-
Atlantic Regional at Lafayette
College. The regional
marked the end of the
2011-2012 season for both
the men's and women's
squads, despite the valiant
effort made by both teams.
Beginning with the
men's side, the Blue Jays
were led by freshman
Alex Szigeti, who recorded
an eighth place finish in
the Epee division. Szigeti
faced off against opponents
from all Divisions
of Collegiate Fencing, and
his eighth place finish was
the best among all Division
III participants in the Epee
division at the NCAA Regional.
He unfortunately fell
just shy of an NCAA
Championship bid, which
would have been an incredible
accomplishment
in a very competitive field.
His eighth place finish
marked the best finish by
a Blue Jay since Ben Dorfman
finished in sixth-place
of the Foil division at the
2008 regional.
By the end of the day,
Szigeti's overall statistics
included a 16-11 record,
which was enough to earn
him a position in the final
round. Also placing in the
Epee division for the Blue
Jays was sophomore Jay
DeYoung, who recorded a
2-4 record in the first round
to finish in 27th place.
In the Foil division, the
Blue Jay fencers of junior
Ben Wasser, freshman
Robert Goldhirsch and
sophomore Evan Stafford
placed 28th, 29th and 30th,
respectively, while freshman
Zachary Goodman
finished in 32nd place. All
four of these Blue Jay fencers
recorded career-best
performances among regional
finishes.
In the Sabre division,
freshman Aravind Menon
led the Blue Jays with a 19th
place finish. His 5-5 in the
opening round earned him
a spot in the second round.
When all was said and
done, his finish marked the
third best among all of his
Division III counterparts.
Also placing in the sabre
division for the Blue
Jays included junior Nicolas
Barbera and freshman
Paul Vitale, who culminated
their seasons with 27th
and 33rd place finishes, respectively.
On the women's side,
the Blue Jay's were led by
sophomore Liz Caris and
freshman Rachel Kalina,
who each recorded top 20
finishes. Caris spared in
the Epee division and finished
the day with a 6-9
record. Unfortunately, she
fell just short of the final
round, but her finish was
good for 16th place to bring
her season record to 55-38
She is now 111-73 for her
career.
Also placing in the Epee
division for the Jays was
freshman Gianna Puzzo,
who advanced to the second
round and ended up
finishing 22nd. Her 4-6 record
on the day made her
80-38 for the season.
Also advancing to the
second round was senior
Lauren Chinn, who placed
24th. Her career concludes
with a 43-13 season record,
improving her to 260-86
during her four years in
black and blue.
The other top-20 Blue
Jay performer was Kalina's
17th place finish in the Sabre.
Kalina finished with a
7-8 record for the day and
advanced to the semifinals.
Her season record of 53-13
gives her one of the best
rookie seasons in Hopkins
history.
Sophomores Katherine
Simeon, the EWFC Sabre
Fencer of the Year, and
Kathleen Rand also placed
in the sabre, finishing 24th
and 26th, respectively.
The Lady Jays were also
very competitive in the foil
division, led by sophomore
Jackie Heath's 22nd place
finish. Seniors Jen Hession
and Colleen Stone ended
their Hopkins careers on
a high note, adding their
final contributions to the
team with 29th and 35th
place finishes, respectively.
Both the men's and
women's Blue Jay squads
finished their 2011-2012
campaigns with competitive
finishes in the Mid-
Atlantic Regional.
The Lady Jays ended the
year as EWFC champions
and should compete for
another title in 2013.