(Anaheim, Calif.) – USA Fencing and Absolute Fencing Gear partnered for the third straight year to recognize young fencers who have excelled in high school with both All-Academic Team honors as well as four scholarships totaling $10,000.
Absolute Fencing Gear owner Gary Lu (Bridgewater, N.J.) was on hand at the Anaheim Hilton reception on Friday to honor nearly 175 team members – all of whom boasted Grade Point Averages of 3.5 or higher. Lu and USA Fencing Executive Director Greg Dilworth (Colorado Springs, Colo.) presented awards to each of the athletes who won scholarships as well as all of the All-Academic Team members.
Athletes with a GPA of at least 3.85 were named to the First All-Academic Team. Second Team athletes included those whose GPAs were 3.7 – 3.84. Athletes with 3.5 – 3.69 GPAs received were recognized on the Honorable Mention Team.
Lu thanked the audience for supporting Absolute and announced that his company would continue to provide scholarship funds for the program through at least 2015.
More than 200 student athletes submitted applications for the program and All-Academic Team members represent 32 states and 103 fencing clubs from across the United States. Based out of Dunwoody, Ga., the Dunwoody Fencing Club placed more student athletes on the team than any other program in the nation with seven athletes all named to the All-Academic First Team.
The scholarship committee also received more than 100 applications for the Absolute Fencing Gear Scholarships in which athletes submitted 500 word essays that shared “the story of a significant event in your fencing experience that has transcended your athletic self and influenced who you are as a person.”
Essays were evaluated by a four-person panel that included USA Fencing PresidentKalle Weeks (Morristown, N.J.) as well as Jennie Salmon (Mount Sinai, N.Y.), Kate Sierra (North Richland Hills, Texas) and Mary Griffith (Roseville, Calif.)
Each of the essays was judged on a combination of content, language and mechanics.
Two $4,000 scholarships (one male and one female) were awarded based on an aggregate score that combined athletes’ GPAs as well as a score assigned by a panel of raters to each essay.
A pair of foil fencers were awarded the $4,000 scholarships.
Drew Johnston (Whitehouse Station, N.J.) , an incoming senior at Hunterdon Central Regional High School who represents Clinton Fencing Club, won the men’s scholarship. Johnston kept up a 4.04 GPA while juggling an international competition schedule that included a trip to the Budapest Cadet European Cup where he won a silver medal in October.
Phoebe Liang (Acton, Mass.) also is an incoming senior. Liang attends Acton-Boxborough Regional High School where she holds a 4.0 GPA. Liang trains at the Boston Fencing Club and won a bronze medal with her BFC teammates in the Senior Team Foil event at the 2011 Summer Nationals.
Although both of the $1,000 scholarships were based on the essays alone, each of the winners held at least a 4.0 GPA.
Alexa Rohan (Stony Brook, N.Y.) is an incoming senior at Ward Melville High School. Rohan, whose GPA is 4.06, is a saber fencer at Mission Fencing Center who won bronze with her club team in the Senior Team event at the 2011 Summer Nationals.
Glenn Balbus (New Fairfield, Conn.) recently graduated from The Masters School and the foil fencer from the Fencing Academy of Westchester will be attending Johns Hopkins in the fall as a mechanical engineering major. Balbus, who held a 4.0 GPA this season, has previously placed in the top eight at a Division II North American Cup in 2010.
The complete list of All-Academic Team members (listed in order of team and state) is as follows:
First Team
Alabama
Caleb Caldwell (Indian Springs, Ala. / Indian Springs School / Salle D’Armes Bosco)
Arizona
Steven Howell (Scottsdale, Ariz. / BASIS Scottsdale / The Village Fencing Club)
California
Stephen Aman (Westlake Village, Calif. Westlake High School / Los Angeles International Fencing Center)
Evan Arnold (Fair Oaks, Calif. /Jesuit High School / Sacramento Saber Fencing Club)
Marc Berghouse (Redwood City, Calif. / Sequoia High School / M-Team at Halberstadt)
Regina Chen (Cupertino, Calif. / The Harker School / Cardinal Fencing Club)
Taylor Chin (Cupertino, Calif. / Monta Vista High School / Silicon Valley Fencing Center)
Cameron Clay (Encinitas, Calif. / San Dieguito Academy High School / Encinitas Fencing Academy)
Leanne Comfort (El Dorado Hills, Calif. / Visions in Education / Sacramento Saber Fencing)
Jeffrey Dalli (San Carlos, Calif. / Junipero Serra High School / Cardina Fencing Club)
Drew Dickinson (El Dorado Hills (Oak Ridge High School (Sacramento Saber Fencing)
Natalie Diehl (Los Angeles, Calif. / Marymount High School / Los Angeles International Fencing Club)
Aleina Edwards (Los Angeles, Calif. / Windward School / Los Angeles International Fencing Center)
Michael Eliot (Huntington Beach, Calif. / Huntington Beach High School / South Coast Fencing Center)
Alexander Elwers (La Mesa, Calif. / Valhalla High School / Cabrillo Academy of the Sword)
Andrew Gleeson (Montara, Calif. / Home School / Peninsula Fencing Academy)
Elise Gout (Encinitas, Calif. / San Dieguito Academy High School / Encinitas Fencing Academy)
Robert Granatelli (Santa Barbara, Calif. / Dos Pueblos High School / Salle D’Asaro)
Andy Granatelli III (Santa Barbara, Calif. / Dos Pueblos High School / Salle D’Asaro)
Jennifer Horowitz (Los Angeles, Calif. / The Archer School for Girls / Los Angeles International Fencing Center)
Parker Lack (Encinitas, Calif. / San Dieguito Academy High School / Encinitas Fencing Academy)
Samantha Laurent (Encinitas, Calif. / San Dieguito Academy / Encinitas Fencing Academy)
May Peterson (Santa Monica, Calif. / Harvard-Westlake / Los Angeles International Fencing Center)
John Poremski (Palmdale, Calif. / Highland High School / Fortune Fencing)
Spencer Smith (Brea, Calif. / Brea-Olinda High School / Gryphon Fencing Club)
John Stayner (San Mateo, Calif. / Crystal Springs Uplands School / Peninsula Fencing Academy)
Spencer Strumwasser (Carlsbad, Calif. / Canyon Crest Academy / Encinitas Fencing Academy)
Taylor Strumwasser (Carlsbad, Calif. /Canyon Crest Academy / Encinitas Fencing Academy)
Brian Tsai (San Diego, Calif. / Torrey Pines High School / Team Touche Fencing Center)
Ruchika Vashkist Goel (Monte Sereno, Calif. / Los Gatos High School / California Fencing Academy)
Colorado
Jessica Li (Englewood, Colo. / Cherry Creek High School / South Denver Fencing Academy)
Elizabeth Morgan (Highlands Ranch, Colo. / Thunder Ridge High School / Denver Fencing Center)
Sydney Oswald (Denver, Colo. / Denver South High School / Denver Fencing Center)
Connecticut
Glenn Balbus (New Fairfield, Conn. / The Masters School / FAW)
Jennifer Kahn (East Hampton, Conn. / Deer Hill School / Connecticut Fencers Club)
Ryan Swei (Greenwich, Conn. / Hackley School / Fencing Academy of Westchester)
Washington D.C.
Jack Butler (Washington, D.C. / St. Anselm’s Abbey School / DC Fencers Club)
Lillie Lainoff (Washington, D.C. / Woodrow Wilson High School / DC Fencers Club)
Delaware
Bartram Carter (Wilmington, Del. / Salesianum / L’Equipe Fencing Club)
Florida
Gabrielle Cohen (Jacksonville, Fla. / Mandarin High School / Jacksonville Fencing Club)
Will Cook (Jacksonville, Fla. / Daniel School of Wisdom & Academics / Jacksonville Fencing Club)
Marlaine Erhart (Orlando, Fla. / Windermere Preparatory School (South Florida Fencing Club)
Joseph Mitrani (Bay Harbor Islands, Fla. / Hillel / Sabre Outreach Network)
Justin Swicegood (Saint Augustine, Fla. / Jacksonville Fencing Club)
Julia Telischi (Coral Gables, Fla. / Ransom Everglades / Master Fencing Club)
Georgia
Julia Abelsky (Atlanta, Ga. / North Springs Charter High School / Nellya Fencers)
Jason Calvert (Johns Creek, Ga. / Chattahoochee High School / North Georgia Fencing Center)
Robert Calvert (Johns Creek, Ga. / Chattahoochee High School / North Georgia Fencing Center)
Ryan Carroll (Atlanta, Ga. / Dunwoody High School / Dunwoody Fencing Club)
Justin Lee (Duluth, Ga. / Northview High School / Dunwoody Fencing Club)
Justin Liu (Duluth, Ga. / Lambert High School / Olympic Fencing Club)
Wesley McDowell (Stone Mountain, Ga. / Greater Atlanta Christian School / Nellya Fencers)
Caitlin Stanton (Alpharetta, Ga. / Alpharetta High School / Dunwoody Fencing Club)
Andrew Tsao (Chamblee, Ga. / Chamblee Charter High School / Dunwoody Fencing Club)
Katharine Van Riper (Marietta, Ga. / Alan C. Pope High School / Dunwoody Fencing Club)
Jacob Wachtel (Marietta, Ga. / Alan C. Pope High School / Dunwoody Fencing Club)
Dave Williams (Johns Creek, Ga. / Northview High School / Dunwoody Fencing Club)
Sarah Zoellick (Atlanta, Ga. / The Westminster Schools / Nellya Fencers)
Idaho
Sean Callaghan (Pocatello, Idaho / Century High School / Pocatello Fencing Club
Illinois
Christopher Monti (Cary, Ill. / Elgin Academy (Fencing Center of Chicago / Midwest Fencing Academy)
Charlie Rovin (Wilmette, Ill. / New Trier Township High School / NTXcaliber)
Indiana
Nicholas Hanahan (Indianapolis, Ind. / Cathedral High School / Escrime Du Lac)
Kansas
Sarah Hanvy (Olathe, Kans. / Olathe South / Kansas City Fencing Center)
Harrison Rosenthal (Leawood, Kans. / The Barstow School / The Kansas City Fencing Center)
Ashley Tsue (Overland Park, Kans. / Pembroke Hill / Heartland Fencing Academy)
Trevor Tsue (Overland Park, Kans. / Pembroke Hill / Heartland Fencing Academy)
Massachusetts
Phoebe Liang (Acton, Mass. / Acton-Boxborough Regional High School / Boston Fencing Club
Christopher McKinney (Concord, Mass. / Concord Carlisle High School / Boston Fencing Club)
Maryland
Andrew Lee (Annapolis, Md. / Gilman School / Baltimore Fencing Center)
Gordon Long (Silver Spring, Md. / Gonzaga College High School / DC Fencing Club)
Roshan Talagala (Rockville, Md. / Thomas S. Wootton High School / Rockville Fencing Academy)
Michigan
Keegan Misiolek (Lambertville, Mich. / Whiteford Agricultural High School / Toledo Blades)
Katherine Skubik (Holly, Mich. / Holly High School / Liberty Lakes Fencing Club)
Victoria Skubik (Holly, Mich. / Holly High School / Liberty Lakes Fencing Club)
Minnesota
Catherine Hua (Minneapolis, Minn. / The Blake School / Twin Cities Fencing Club)
Solomon Polansky (Minnetonka, Minn. / The Blake School / Blake School)
North Carolina
Margaret Bertoni (Clemmons, N.C. / Atkins Academic / Technology High School / Charlotte Fencing Academy)
New Jersey
Alexander Catoya (Rutherford, N.J. / Bergen County Academies – AAST / Manhattan Fencing Center)
Matthew Cavuto (Skillman, N.J. / The Princeton Day School / Tigerz Fencing Academy)
Brandon Chawner (Manahawkin, N.J. / The Chawner Academy / Windsor)
Drew Johnston (Station, N.J. / Hunterdon Central Regional High School / Clinton Fencing Club)
Ilana Kamber (Short Hills, N.J. / Millburn High School / Lucchetti Fencing USA)
Jan Maceczek (Marlboro, N.J. / Colts Neck High School / Empire United Fencing)
Galen Polise (Chatham, N.J. / Chatham High School / New Jersey Fencing Alliance)
Katherine Schmidt (Skilman, N.J. / Montgomery High School / Medeo Fencing Club)
Grace Tellado (Wyckoff, N.J. / Indian Hills High School / Masters Fencing Academy)
Alaina Uhouse (Berkeley Heights, N.J. / Governor Livingston High School / Manhattan Fencing Center)
Alicia Zhao (Belle Mead, N.J. / Montgomery High School / Mr. Ma Fencing, USA)
New Mexico
Margaret Guetersloh (Albuquerque, N.M. / La Cueva High School / Duke City Fencing)
New York
Klarissa Armada (Nyack, High School / Nyack Fencing Academy)
Lelina Chang (Great Neck, N.Y. / William A. Shine – Great Neck South High School / Island Fencing Academy)
Skyler Chin (New Hyde Park, N.Y. / Great Neck South High School / New York Fencing Academy)
Riya Dave (Ardsley, N.Y. / Ardsley High School / Fencing Academy of Westchester)
Sarah Dzielski (Rochester, N.Y. / West Irondequoit High School / Rochester Fencing Club)
Abigail Forth (Pittsford, N.Y. / Pittsford Sutherland High School / Rochester Fencing Club)
Sam Goodman (Pittsford, N.Y. / Pittsford Mendon High School / Rochester Fencing Club)
Caroline Juang (Manhasset, N.Y. / Manhasset High School / North Shore Fencers Club)
Luby Kiriakidi (Rochester, N.Y. / Brighton High School / Rochester Fencing Club)
Sheeva Massoudi (Clifton Park, N.Y. / Shenendehowa High School / Beaches Sabre Club – New York)
Alexa Rohan (Stony Brook, N.Y. / Ward Melville High School / Mission Fencing Club)
Sachit Singal (New Hyde Park, N.Y. / Herricks High School / Avant Garde)
Arabella Uhry (New York City, N.Y. / Fieldston School / Manhattan Fencing Center)
Carly Weber-Levine (East Setauket, N.Y. / Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School / Mission Fencing Center)
Ohio
Alex Leong (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg High School / Toledo Blades Fencing)
Garrett Turley (Dublin, Ohio / Dublin Jerome High School / Dublin High School Fencing Club)
Oregon
Zachary McKay (McMinnville, Ore. / McMinnville High School / Oregon Fencing Alliance)
Pennsylvania
Christman Henderer (Gulph Mills, Pa. / The Haverford School / The Fencing Academy of Pennsylvania)
Rachel Aliya Makansi (Steelville, Pa. / Octorara Senior High School / L’Equipe Fencing Club)
Bridget Marturano (Malvern, Pa. / Conestoga Senior High School / Fencing Academy of Philadelphia)
Jonathan Mui (New Hope, Pa. / New Hope-Solebury High School / Bucks County Fencing Academy)
Audrey Rankin (Media, Pa. / Penncrest High School / Wallingfor-Swarthmore Panthers Fencing Club)
Trovato Gianfranco (Pittsburgh, Pa. / The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School / Three Rivers Fencing Center)
Olivia Weiss (Pittsburgh, Pa. / The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School / Tiger Fencing Club)
Rhode Island
Connor Ryan (Lincoln, R.I. / Lincoln High School / Rhode Island Fencing Academy)
South Carolina
Cash Night (Bluffton, S.C. / Bluffton High School / Athletic Club Northeast
Tennessee
Abigail Aldea (Germantown, Tenn. / St. Mary’s Episocpal School / Memphis University School Fencing Club)
Grayson Harber (Cordova, Tenn. / Germantown High School / MUSFC)
Bennett Mercer (Memphis, Tenn. / Memphis University School) / MUS Fencing)
Jeffrey Zheng (Germantown, Tenn. / Memphis University School / Memphis University School Fencing Club)
Texas
Christofer Ahn (Houston, Texas / Strake Jesuit College Preparatory / Bayou City Fencing Academy)
Liao Xavier (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit Preparatory School of Dallas / Fencing Institute of Dallas)
Anna Van Brummen (Houston, Texas / Awty International School / Alliance Fencing Academy)
Utah
Elias Johnson (Pleasant View, Utah / Weber High School / School House Fencing)
Wesley Johnson (Pleasant View, Utah / Orion Jr. High / School House Fencing)
Virginia
Chandler Coble (Alexandria, Va. / Hayfield Secondary School / Fencing Sports Academy)
Samuel Keltz (Manassas, Va. / Stonewall Jackson High School / Ronin Fencing Foundation)
Jack Maes (McLean, Va. / McLean High School / DCFC)
Anya Michaelsen (Crozet, Va. / Western Albemarle High School / Charlottesville Fencing Alliance)
Cameron Price (Richmond, Va. / Deep Run High School / Richmond Fencing Club)
Greer Sanders (Chester, Va. / Home School / Salle Green)
Vermont
Caroline Jones (Shelburne, Vt. / Camplain Valley Union High School / Vermont Fencing Alliance)
Charlotte Treadwell (Burlington, Vt. / Burlington High School / Vermont Fencing Alliance)
Ethan Yu (South Burlington, Vt. / South Burlington High School / Vermont Fencing Alliance)
Washington
David Adler (Bellevue, Wash. / Newport High School / Rain City Fencing Center)
Leila Braun (Seattle, Wash. / The Northwest School / Salle Auriol Seattle)
Diana Chin (Mercer Island, Wash. / University Prep / Salle Auriol Seattle)
Alina Marshall (Bellevue, Wash. / Interlake High School / Rain City Fencing Center)
Second Team
California
Lea Chang (Diamond Bar, Calif. / Diamond Bar High School / Fortune Fencing)
Olivia Edwards (Los Angeles, Calif. / Windward School / Los Angeles International Fencing Center)
Ryan Farley (Pasadena, Calif. / The Waverly School / Fortune Fencing)
William Newell (Belvedere, Calif. / Marin Academy / Marin Pentathlon Club)
Gavriela Strauss (San Francisco, Calif. / San Francisco University High School / Golden Gate Fencing)
Connecticut
Nicole Kogan (New Haven, Conn. / Hopkins School / Fencing Academy of Westchester)
Georgia
Blake Murphy (Atlanta, Ga. / Pace Academy / Nellya Fencers)
Preston Yun (Suwanee, Ga. / Lambert High School / Olympic Fencers Club)
Julie Zhang (Johns Creek, Ga. / Johns Cree High School / Olympic Fencers Club)
Illinois
William Robinson (Winnetka, Ill. / New Trier High School / New Trier High School Fencing Team)
Kansas
Matthew Gebbett Stillwell (Mattica, Kans. / Kansas City Fencing Center)
Massachusetts
Rachael Clark (Boxford, Mass. / Bishop Fenwick, High School / Penta Fencing Club)
Maryland
Daniel Grossman (Bethesda, Md. / Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School / DC Fencers Club)
Julian Raul (Silver Springs, Md. / James Hubert Blake High School / DC Fencers Club)
Minnesota
Timothy Martin (Roseville, Minn. / Roseville Area High School / Roseville Area High School Fencing Club)
Nebraska
Matthew McMaingal (Omaha, Nebraska / Millard North High School / Lincoln Fencing Club)
New Jersey
Caroleen Chen (Bedminster, N.J. / Bernards High School / Bernards High School)
Charlene Liu (Bridgewater, N.J. / Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School)
New York
Jackson Dammann (Chappaqua, N.Y. / Horace Greeley High School / Fencing Academy of Westchester)
Oregon
Emily Comstock (Beaverton, Ore. / Valley Catholic High School / Oregon Fencing Alliance)
Pennsylvania
Dean Ischiropoulos (Media, Pa. / Strath Haven High School / Wallingford-Swarthmore Panthers Fencing Club)
Matt Stewart (Swarthmore, Pa. / Strath Haven High School / Wallingford-Swarthmore Panthers Fencing Club)
Honorable Mention Team
California
Madeleine Wall (Santa Barbara, Calif. / Santa Barbara High School / Salle D’Asaro)
Colorado
Angela Grogan (Durango, Colo. / Durango High School / 4 Corners Fencing Club)
Connecticut
Katherine Sachs (Greenwich, Conn. / Rye Country Day School / Bergen Fencing Club)
Illinois
Nicole Mitchell (Gurnee, Ill. Warren Township High School / Illinois Fencers Club)
New Jersey
Jake Burns (Chatham, N.J. / Chatham High School / New Jersey Fencing Alliance)
Sophia Holmqvist (Upper Saddle River, N.J. / Home School / Fencers Club)
David Jennings (Mountainside, N.J. / The Academy for Allied Health Sciences / Medeo Fencing Club)
Lindsey Severud (Long Valley, N.J. / West Morris Central High School / The Sabre School)
New York
Ryan Brown (Harrison, N.Y. / Harrison High School / New York Athletic Club)
Alyssa Holfilena (Miller Place, N.Y. / Miller Place High School / Manhattan Fencing Center)
Tag(s): News
