Without Top Talent, Fencing Still Successful at IFAs

Coming into Saturday's IFA Championships down six of their starting fencers, Columbia's fencing team wasn't expected to emerge victorious. But even with some fencers nursing injuries and others off competing around the globe, the remaining Lion fencers took to the strips and earned both individual and team titles. The men's team took the championship while the women earned third place, and the Lions took five individual medals on the day.

"Both the men's and women's team had three starters not fencing, and given that I was extremely proud of the way they competed," Columbia head coach George Kolombatovich said. "I've been there where we have won everything and taken all the trophies, and I was just as proud of them for what they accomplished here as I was in those other situations."

The IFA Championships is the oldest collegiate fencing tournament in the nation. While the results from the event do not count towards NCAA qualifications, the Lions still maintained their competitive performance in the meet.

None of the men's teams took first in any of the disciplines, but the combined point totals from the third-place sabre, second-place foil, and third-place epee finishes enabled the Light Blue to capture the overall men's team title. Freshman foilist Kurt Getz earned a gold medal overall at the meet while senior foilist and reigning NCAA bronze-medalist Scott Sugimoto took the silver. Two other men's fencers took medals on the day as freshman sabrist Jeff Spear and freshman epeeist Brent Kelly took bronzes in their first ever IFAs.

On the women's side, the Lions were powered by the gold-medal performance of senior sabrist Daria Schneider, the solid effort from senior co-captain Dani Gordet, and, in what was certainly the biggest surprise of the competition for Columbia, sophomore Katharine McCully, who fought her first bout as a sabrist in her career.

"Katie just converted over to sabre this year, and it was her first time getting a chance to fence," Kolombatovich said. "It was really a phenomenal performance along with the two individual titles as well."

The women's foil team, like the men's, came in second place for the event while the women's epee squad, without NCAA Regional top-seed freshman Tess Finkel and senior Alexie Rubin, took fifth.

The success at IFAs this past weekend has further strengthened Kolombatovich's belief that at the NCAA Regionals this Sunday, the Lions will qualify the maximum of 12 fencers to compete at the NCAA Championships at the end of the month.

"Our goal now is to get 12 in," he added. "We certainly think we have the depth to get two fencers in at each weapon, and that is absolutely crucial if we are to have a strong showing at the NCAA Championships."