Nov. 21, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – University of Notre Dame men’s fencers Enzo Castellani and Frederick Bentley earned first- and second-place finishes in men’s foil competition at the 40th annual Garret Open, hosted by Penn State this past weekend. Additionally, five other men’s and women’s fencers placed in the top eight of their respective weapons.
Castellani and Bentley used victories over Chris Colley of Ohio State and Alex Mills of Princeton in the semifinals to reach the championship bout. Castellani then took down his teammate to claim the weapon title. Seven other members of the Irish men’s foil squad competed with Nicholas Crebs (10th), Nickolas Kubik (11th) and Gabriel Acuna (12th) each earning top-15 results. Additionally, Ryan Murphy placed 32nd, Alan Markow 33rd, Grant Hodges 34th and Nick Grandy 43rd.
Two more members of the men’s team earned top-eight placing in sabre. Kevin Hassett claimed sixth, while Jason Choy finished one spot back in seventh. Keith Feldman (10th) and Alexander Coccia (13th) also finished in the top 15, with Marcel Frenkel finishing 27th, Billy Meckling 30th and William McGough 37th.
James Kaull represented the fifth and final member of the men’s squad to place in the top eight, finishing eighth in epee competition. Michael Rossi finished 10th in the table to finish second amongst Irish entrants, while Jack Piasio (19th), Dale Purdy (22nd), Ryan McDonough (34th) and Albert He (34th) rounded out the Notre Dame combatants on the men’s side.
A slightly smaller contingent of fencers represented the women’s team, as 17 total members of the squad competed in the three weapons. Women’s foil brought home the strongest finish, as Maddy Ziess placed third overall for one of the two top-eight placements on the women’s side. Additionally, Radmila Sarkisova (12th), Grace Hartman (13th) and Adriana Camacho (15th) earned top-15 spots, with Rachel Beck finished 22nd and Darsie Malynn 25th.
Lian Osier paced the women’s sabre entrants, claiming a fifth place result with Beatriz Almeida finishing second amongst the group in 19th place. Rounding out the sabre competitors, Danielle Guilfoyle finished 21st, Marta Stepien 22nd, Kathryn Palazzoto 23rd and Abigail Nichols 26th.
In women’s epee, only five women took to the strip, paced by Nicole Ameli in 14th place. Additionally, Channing Foster finished 21st, Diane Zielinski 24th, Phenix Messersmith 34th and Stephanie Myers 36th.
Two other Irish fencers, meanwhile, earned podium finishes at the recently completed North American Cup (NAC) in Austin, Texas. Men’s foilist Race Imboden claimed top billing at the event after entering the direct elimination portion of the event as the third overall seed with a 6-0 pool play record. After advancing to the table of eight with relative ease, Imboden dispatched Adam Elkassas (15-9) and Jerry Chang (15-9) to set up a final against Michael Dudley. Imboden went on to claim an eight-touch victory, 15-7, to claim the championship.
In women’s epee, Ashley Severson earned the second top performance for the Irish, finishing third. After going 5-1 with a +18 indicator, Severson entered direct elimination as the 12th seed before advancing to the semifinals with a win over Oksana Samorodov (15-6) in the table of eight. Severson then fell to Katharine Holmes (15-7) in her semifinal bout to place third.
Next on the Irish docket is another NAC event, which takes place Dec. 9-11 in Kansas City, Mo., before the men ring in the new year with the Air Force Duals on Jan. 7 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Garrett Open Results:
Men:
Foil:1. Enzo Castallani2. Frederick Bentley10. Nicholas Crebs11. Nickolas Kubik12. Gabriel Acuna32. Ryan Murphy33. Alan Markow34. Grant Hodges43. Nick Grandy
Sabre:6. Kevin Hassett7. Jason Choy10. Keith Feldman13. Alexander Coccia27. Marcel Frenkel30. Billy Meckling37. William McGough
Epee:8. James Kaull10. Michael Rossi19. Jack Piasio22. Dale Purdy34. Ryan McDonough34. Albert He
Women:
Foil:3. Maddy Ziess12. Radmila Sarkisova13. Grace Hartman15. Adriana Camacho22. Rachel Beck25. Darsie Malynn
Sabre:5. Lian Osier19. Beatriz Almeida21. Danielle Guilfoyle22. Marta Stepien23. Kathryn Palazzoto26. Abigail Nichols
Epee:14. Nicole Ameli21. Channing Foster24. Diane Zielinski34. Phenix Messersmith36. Stephanie Myers
–ND–