November 2025 NAC, Day 4 Recap: Scruggs Returns in Gold as Rising Stars Close Out Fort Worth

FORT WORTH, Texas — When Lauren Scruggs OLY (Peter Westbrook Foundation & Empire United Fencing) stepped onto the strip Monday morning, it marked her first USA Fencing appearance since the January 2025 NAC — the last time she fenced domestically, and the last time she won. 

Since then, she helped lead Team USA to a world team title at the 2025 Senior World Championships, adding to the two medals she earned at the 2024 Olympics.

In her return, Scruggs looked sharp once again, winning Division I Women’s Foil on the fourth and final day of the November 2025 North American Cup in Fort Worth.

“Yeah, I feel good,” she says. “It was a long day, so pretty tired, but very happy.”

With the international season just underway, Scruggs said the timing of the NAC helped her prepare for what’s ahead.

“We kind of just had our first World Cup, so this is my second tournament of the season,” she says. “We’re going to Busan in two weeks, so it’s nice to get this in — get some more practice in before that World Cup.”

She approached the day with a mix of focus and creativity.

“It was a good day,” she says. “There’s things to work on, obviously, but it was nice to just try new things out and see what was working, what wasn’t.”

And while her fencing continues to evolve, she still feels connected to the core strengths that carried her through Paris.

“I think I’m getting older, so I’m doing less of certain things,” she says. “But I think I still have all of the traits that I had in Paris today.”

Scruggs says the season is too young for predictions.

“You never know — it’s super early in the season,” she says. “But I’ll just try to get out there and try my best.”

Just a few strips away, another fencer was piecing together a gold-medal performance of his own. For Howard Li (Eagle Blade Fencers Club), winning Y-14 Men’s Saber meant managing both the pressure of the moment and the pain of a sprained back.

“It was rough,” Li says. “I had a sprained back — so it was pretty rough.”

Adjusting his approach helped him stay in control.

“I realized I had to take my tempo a little slower,” he says. 

Li’s final opponent, Miles Chambers, was someone he’d faced before — and someone he respects deeply.

“My opponent is really good,” he says. “He’s a really good fencer for his age.”

The day didn’t start smoothly; Li says his pool and early DE bouts were tight and tense.

“It was really rough, and it was really close bouts,” he says. “I realized I just started changing into the momentum, and I got better.”

Guidance from his coach played a big part in that shift.

“My coach helped me a lot, actually,” he says. “He taught me through the timing and all that.”

Six champions earned gold on Monday, with Scruggs and Li bookending a final day filled with resilience, adjustments and big-season momentum as the November NAC wrapped up in Fort Worth.