(Milwaukee, Wis.) – London Olympic bronze medalist Maya Lawrence (Teaneck, N.J.) spent more time on her flights from her training home in Paris to Milwaukee –the site of the December North American Cup – than she actually spent competing on Sunday.
But the journey proved well worth it as Lawrence won gold in the Division I Women’s Epee – her first title of a domestic season that will serve as a key component to qualifying for the 2013 Senior World Championships which is Lawrence’s next focus.
“I’m not looking all the way to Rio yet. We’ll see about that,” Lawrence laughed when asked about her plans for another Olympic medal. “Right now, I’m just training for the World Cups and the 2013 Worlds.”
After she two dropped pool bouts, Lawrence found herself seeded 34th in the direct elimination tables – hardly an ideal position, but the ranking was good enough for a bye into the table of 64 where she regrouped for a 15-8 win over Katie Wahler (Palo Alto, Calif.)
Lawrence defeated her New York Athletic Club teammate Holly Buechel (New York City, N.Y.), 15-12, in the table of 32 and edged up-and-comer Amanda Sirico (Bowie, Md.), 15-14, in the table of 16.
In the next round, Lawrence defeated Catherine Lee (Elizabethtown, Ky.), 15-10, to advance to the quarter-finals.
Lawrence’s quarter-final opponent, Jessica O’Neill-Lyublinsky (North Salem, N.Y.) kept their bout close as she tied Lawrence at seven, but the Olympic medalist closed out the bout, 15-9.
In the semifinals, Lawrence met Mason Speta (Chicago, Ill.) who was fresh off her upset of Lawrence’s London teammate, Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas), in the quarters.
Lawrence controlled the bout to earn a 15-7 victory.
Coached by her 2011 Senior World teammate Lindsay Campbell (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Lawrence built an 8-3 lead over 2012 Junior World medalist Ashley Severson (Franklin Lakes, N.J.), but Severson came back to tie the bout at 10 late in the second period.
The two exchanged touches in the third period and the bout became tied at 14 after a double touch. During the next exchange, the athletes doubled again, but a single touch is needed to close out the bout at 15.
Lawrence scored the next touch to win the bout, 15-14.
“I knew I could either go with an action that would work probably 51% of the time, but if it didn’t I knew I’d be really mad, so I did something completely different that I hadn’t done yet in the bout and fortunately it worked!” Lawrence said.
After a brief break between winning bronze in London and the start of the domestic season in October, Lawrence said she’s back to training full time in France again and is looking ahead to the start of the World Cup season in January.
“It’s hard because for so long all you’ve worked for and wanted is to compete at the Olympics and then you have to work to get some of that energy back, but everything’s back to normal again. I haven’t been back in the States much, so maybe my teammates have become celebrities or something, but I’m back to life as usual,” she laughed.
Veteran saber fencer Delia Turner (Philadelphia, Pa.) won her second gold medal of the weekend when she followed her 60-69 title on Friday with another in the open event on Sunday.
Turner defeated her 2011 Veteran World teammate, 57-year-old Heidi Runyan (San Diego, Calif.), 10-7, in the semifinals and won her bout over 46-year-old Mary Wilkinson (Denver, Colo.) by the same margin to take gold.
In addition to the veteran events, Turner also competed in the Division I women’s saber tournament on Saturday where she fenced athletes who were often less than a third of her age.
“I like to fence as many events as I can at these things. My timing’s not right for Div I, but it’s good practice and the girls are always great to fence. Besides, I travel a long way for these things and it’s good to get in as many bouts as I can,” Turner said.
An English teacher at the all-boys Haverford School in Philadelphia, Turner said the medals she wins often find a home in her middle school class room.
“The boys always think they’re cool and they’re still young enough to be impressed and a little afraid,” she laughed.
Forty-two-year-old Michael Cho (Northville, Mich.) won his third straight North American Cup title in the Veteran Open men’s foil event.
Cho, who also took gold at this tournament last year and at the March NAC, defeated Juan Ignacio Calderon (San Diego, Calif.), 10-6, in the gold medal final.
In the Veteran men’s 40-49 epee, Daniel Rees (Denver, Colo.) opened with a 4-0 lead against Jon Magner (Los Angeles, Calif.) and gave up just four touches during the remainder of the bout to win gold by a score of 10-4.
Michael Perka (Mountain View, Calif.) won gold in the Veteran men’s 50-59 epee event. Perka defeated 2012 Veteran World Team member Lou Mariani (Santa Clara, Calif.), 5-4, in the semifinals and outscored Timothy Glass (Deerfield, Ill.), 10-6, in the final bout.
Daryl Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif.) entered the Veteran men’s 60-69 epee event unranked in the national standings, but came away from the tournament as a top prospect for the 2013 Veteran World Championship Team after winning gold on Snday.
Seeded first after the pools, Taylor earned a bye into the table of 32 where he defeated Allen Barwick Jr. (Potomac, Md.), 10-1. In the next round, Taylor defeated 2008 Olympic Team Armorer Ron Herman (Iowa City, Iowa), 10-3, and went on to win his quarter-final bout against William Walker (Redwood City, Calif.), 10-8.
Taylor defeated two-time Veteran World Team member Bob Lipp (Los Gatos, Calif.), 10-6, to advance to the gold medal final.
Taylor built a 6-2 lead over 2011 Veteran World medalist Jere Bothelio (San Jose, Calif.) before Bothelio cut the lead to 8-7. Taylor scored a single touch, but Bothelio answered with one of his own to take the score to 9-8. During the next exchange, Taylor scored again to win the bout, 10-8.
A 1998 Veteran World Champion, 75-year-old Kazimieras Campe (Edgewater, Md.) finished out the year unbeaten in domestic competition as he won his third straight Veteran men’s +70 epee gold in 2012.
Campe defeated John McGrew (San Ramon, Calif.), 10-7, in the table of 16 and won his quarter-final bout over Mark Henry (Potomac, Md.), 10-5.
After a 10-8 win over Barry Leonardini (San Francisco, Calif.), Campe defeated Marcel Miernik (Irvington, N.Y.), 10-8, to win gold.
Corie Ripple (Rockford, Mich.) achieved the rare feat of winning not only two gold medals at the same tournament, but two titles in different weapons this weekend. Following her victory in the Veteran women’s 40-49 epee competition on Saturday, Ripple defeated Bonnie Hennig (Simsbury, Conn.), 6-2, in the gold medal final.
On Friday, four-time Veteran World medalist Anne-Marie Walters (Parkland, Fla.) went to overtime with her 2012 Veteran World Teammate Ursula Szpak (Trophy Club, Texas) in the Veteran Open foil event.
Two-days later, Walters and Szpak were both looking for gold again in the 50-59 foil competition.
Walters advanced to the semifinals against Szpak after a 10-8 quarter-final win over 2010 Veteran World medalist Michelle Verhave (Purdys, N.Y.)
In the semis, Walters avenged her loss to Szpak on Friday with a 9-4 victory.
Walters went to overtime again, however, in her gold medal final against two-time Veteran World medalist Jennette Starks-Faulkner (Middletown, Conn.) Walters scored the last touch to win the bout, 3-2, and earn her third NAC medal of the season.
In the Veteran Women’s 60-69 foil competition, three-time Veteran World Team member Madelon Rosenfeld (New York City, N.Y.) defeated here 2012 Veteran World Teammate Deborah Theriault (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 10-7, in the quarter-finals and Agota Balot (AUT) in the semifinals. Fencing for gold, Rosenfeld outscored two-time Veteran World silver medalist Judith Offerle (Winnetka, Ill.), 3-2.
Two-time Veteran World medalist Patricia Bedrosian (Malibu, Calif.) followed her gold medal win in the +70 women’s epee event on Saturday with a +70 foil gold medal on Sunday. Bedrosian fenced 2011 Veteran World medalist Bettie Graham (Washington, D.C.) in the gold medal final and won the bout, 10-7.
Eighteen-year-old wheelchair fencer David Xu (Staten Island, N.Y.) advanced to his second straight gold medal final at this tournament. After winning silver in the foil event on Saturday, Xu faced former Wheelchair World Champion Tariq Alqallaf (KUW) in the saber final on Sunday.
Alqallaf dominated the bout, however, and won the gold, 15-6, to complete his sweep of wheelchair titles at the event.
Sixteen-year-old Peter Yang (Portland, Ore.) won his first national level medal at the USA Fencing National Championships this summer – a silver in the Division III saber event – and followed the achievement with a gold medal in the Division II saber competition in Milwaukee on Sunday. Yang defeated 16-year-old Joseph Davis (St. Louis, Mo.), 15-9, in the final bout.
Visit www.usfencingresults.com for complete results.
Top eight results are as follows:
Division I Women’s Epee
1. Maya Lawrence (Teaneck, N.J.)
2. Ashley Severson (Franklin Lakes, N.J.)
3. Katarzyna Trzopek (San Francisco, Calif.)
3. Mason Speta (Chicago, Ill.)
5. Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas)
6. Kat Holmes (Washington, D.C.)
7. Lindsay Campbell (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
8. Jessica O’Neill-Lyublinsky (North Salem, N.Y.)
Veteran Men’s 40-49 Epee
1. Daniel Rees (Denver, Colo.)
2. Jon Magner (Los Angeles, Calif.)
3. Darcy Gates (CAN)
3. Kyle Foster (CAN)
5. Axel Allgeier (Parker, Colo.)
6. Ambrose Lee (CAN)
7. Mike Papp (Rockford, Ill.)
8. Keith Amann (Westminster, Colo.)
Veteran Men’s 50-59 Epee
1. Michael Perka (Mountain View, Calif.)
2. Timothy Glass (Deerfield, Ill.)
3. Lou Mariani (Santa Clara, Calif.)
3. Gypsy Gelnaw (Fullerton, Calif.)
5. Sean Ameli (Las Vegas, Nev.)
6. David Jensen (Los Angeles, Calif.)
7. Mark Pohl (Walnut Creek, Calif.)
8. Dick Richards (Burtonsville, Md.)
Veteran Men’s 60-69 Epee
1. Daryl Taylor (Los Angeles, Calif.)
2. Jere Bothelio (San Jose, Calif.)
3. Bob Cochrane Jr. (Lake Worth, Fla.)
3. Bob Lipp (Los Gatos, Calif.)
5. William Walker (Redwood City, Calif.)
6. Gary Linton (North Venice, Fla.)
7. Arnold Messing (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
8. Joel Spielberg (Northfield, N.J.)
Veteran Men’s +70 Epee
1. Kazimieras Campe (Edgewater, Md.)
2. Marcel Miernik (Irvington, N.Y.)
3. Ray Sexton III (Round Rock, Texas)
3. Barry Leonardini (San Francisco, Calif.)
5. Mark Henry (Potomac, Md.)
6. Jim Adams (Rockville, Md.)
7. Donald Penner (Vaughn, Wash.)
8. Peter Calderon (Plainsboro, N.J.)
Veteran Women’s 40-49 Foil
1. Corie Ripple (Rockford, Mich.)
2. Bonnie Hennig (Simsbury, Conn.)
3. Margaret Fagan (New York City, N.Y.)
3. Monica Morrison (Seattle, Wash.)
5. Vittoria Tomich (San Diego, Calif.)
6. Lesley Chapman (Lexington, Ky.)
7. Kari Caplin (Earlysville, Va.)
8. Rachel Brown (Chicago, Ill.)
Veteran Women’s 50-59 Foil
1. Anne-Marie Walters (Parkland, Fla.)
2. Jennette Starks-Faulkner (Middletown, Conn.)
3. Lynn Botelho (Indiana, Pa.)
3. Ursula Szpak (Trophy Club, Texas)
5. Elizabeth Merritt (Washington, D.C.)
6. Kristin Vines (Chatanooga, Tenn.)
7. Michelle Verhave (Purdys, N.Y.)
8. Carolyn Gresham-Fiegel (Edmond, Okla.)
Veteran Women’s 60-69 Foil
1. Madelon Rosenfeld (New York City, N.Y.)
2. Judith Offerle (Winnetka, Ill.)
3. Jann Ream (Iowa City, Iowa)
3. Agota Balot (AUT)
5. Debora Theriault (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
6. Pam Katz (Buckeye, Ariz.)
7. Muriel Cawthorn (Rehoboth, Mass.)
8. Marsha Reichman (Bethesda, Md.)
Veteran Women’s +70 Foil
1. Patricia Bedrosian (Malibu, Calif.)
2. Bettie Graham (Washington, D.C.)
3. Catherine Radle (Suwanee, Ga.)
3. Diane Reckling (White Plains, N.Y.)
5. Judith Evans (Greenwich, Conn.)
Veteran Women’s Open Saber
1. Delia Turner (Philadelphia, Pa.)
2. Mary Wilkerson (Denver, Colo.)
3. Beth Vance (Clarkston, Mich.)
3. Heidi Runyan (San Diego, Calif.)
5. Cathleen Randall (Watertown, Mass.)
6. Alyce Athay-Croasdale (Wakefield, R.I.)
7. Linda Dunn (Indianapolis, Ind.)
8. Robin King (Seattle, Wash.)
Veteran Men’s Foil
1. Michael Cho (Northville, Mich.)
2. Juan Ignacio Calderon (San Diego, Calif.)
3. Peter Grandbois (Granville, Ohio)
3. Jamie Douraghy (Los Angeles, Calif.)
5. Ed Kaihatsu (Skokie, Ill.)
7. Michael Perry (San Diego, Calif.)
8. Ray Navarro (Irvine, Texas)
Wheelchair Men’s Saber
1. Tariq Alqallaf (KUW)
2. David Xu (Staten Island, N.Y.)
3. Leo Curtis (Rainier, Ore.)
3. Ryan Estep (Florence, Miss.)
5. Dennis Aspy (Woodstock, Ga.)
6. Dejuan Surrell (Jackson, Miss.)
Division II Men’s Saber
1. Peter Yang (Portland, Ore.)
2. Joseph Davis (St. Louis, Mo.)
3. Jake Friedman (Delray Beach, Fla.)
3. Eric Zhang (Cambridge, Mass.)
5. Siegfried Gokea (New York City, N.Y.)
6. Tristan Quinton (Colonia, N.J.)
7. Marc Mendoza (Escondido, Calif.)
8. Naveen Borojerdi (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Tag(s): News Maya Lawrence Ursula Szpak Linda J. Dunn
