USA Fencing

Press Release

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For Immediate Release
March 2, 2010

Team USA Fields Strong 2010 Junior and Cadet World Championship Team

Nine medalists from the 2009 U.S. Junior and Cadet World Championships team will return to the 2010 event in Baku, Azerbaijan, slated for April 2-10. Leading the group is 2008 U.S. Olympian Gerek Meinhardt (San Francisco) in junior men's foil, and 2009 cadet world silver medalists Lee Kiefer (Lexington, Ky.) and Katherine Holmes (Washington D.C.), who will try for gold in both junior and cadet age groups in women's foil and women's epee, respectively.

Last year, Team USA won an astonishing 11 medals, and appears poised to challenge for medal honors once again. Meinhardt, the 2009 individual bronze medalist in junior men's foil, will look to improve upon last year's individual bronze. Three of the four junior men's foil team will look to improve upon their 2009 silver-medal that includes Alexander Massialas (San Francisco) and Zain Shaito (Garland, Texas). David Willette (Lafayette, Calif.) will compete in his first Junior World Championships.

Massialas will also compete in cadet men's foil and be accompanied by Race Imboden (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Brian Kaneshige (Maplewood, N.J.).

The junior women's foil team is highly decorated with Nzihgha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Kiefer will look to defend their 2009 team World Championship with 2009 Cadet World Team member Margaret Lu (Greenwich, Conn.) and Eve Levin (New York). Two-time Cadet World champion Prescod finished 8^th at the 2009 Junior Worlds. Prescod and Kiefer were also members of the 2009 U.S. World Championship team.

In cadet women's foil, Kiefer and Lu will do double duty by competing in both the junior and cadet divisions, while Mona Shaito (Garland, Texas) joins them for the cadet portion.

Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas) returns to the junior women's epee team and looks to improve her 11^th-place performance and is the only returning fencer from the 2009 bronze-medal team. Adding power to the U.S. squad will be veteran Holmes. A pair of newcomers will complete the junior squad that includes: Neely Brandfield-Harvey (Houston, Texas) and Ashley Severson (Franklin Lakes, N.J.), who will also test the competition in the cadet division. Isabella Barna (Bend, Ore.) rounds out the cadet women's epee team.

2009 World Championship participant Daryl Homer (Jamaica, N.Y.) returns to the international scene in men's sabre and looks to supplement his 2009 junior world bronze. He is accompanied by Evan Prochniak (Philadelphia), Eric Fass (Beverly Hills, Calif.) and Aleksander Ochocki (Clark, N.J.). The U.S. men's sabre team placed 7^th in 2009.

The cadet sabre team returns two veterans - Alexander Ryjik (Alexandria, Va.) and Will Spear (Wynantskill, N.Y.). Eugene Chung (Olney, Md.) rounds out the U.S. team.

2009 U.S. World Championship team member Monica Aksamit (New York) will lead the junior women's sabre team, who finished 8^th last year. 2009 cadet bronze medalist Nicole Glon (College Station, Pa.) moves into the junior division, while Lian Osier (Battle Ground, Wash.) returns for a second time. Celina Merza (Wayne, N.J.) is the newcomer to both the junior and cadet world teams. Sarah Pak (Roslyn, N.Y.) and Skyla Powers (Decatur, Ga.) will compete in the cadet divisions.

The U.S. junior and cadet men's epee squad will feature newcomers: Juniors - Michael Raynis (Chatsworth, Calif.); Alen Hadzic (Montclair, N.J.); Jonathan Yergler (Princeton, N.J.); and Andrew Meyers (Scarsdale, N.Y.). Cadets -Meyers; Ayyub Ibrahim (Bronx, N.Y.); and Alexander Eldeib (Burke, Va.).

The competition will be held at the Haydar Aliyev Sport and Concert Complex in Baku, which has hosted numerous Olympic caliber sporting events. The Junior and Cadet World Championships are held annually and are being organized this year by the Azerbaijan Fencing Federation and the Azerbaijan Olympic Committee.

For more information on the 2010 Junior and Cadet World Championships visit http://www.bakufencing2010.com/.

2010 U.S. Junior World Championship Team
April 2-10, 2010, Baku, Azerbaijan

Men's Epee
Michael Raynis, Chatsworth, Calif.
Alen Hadzic, Montclair, N.J.
Jonathan Yergler, Princeton, N.J.
Andrew Meyers, Scarsdale, N.Y.

Men's Foil
Gerek Meinhardt, San Francisco, Calif.
Alexander Massialas, San Francisco, Calif.
David Willette, Lafayette, Calif.
Zain Shaito, Garland, Texas

Men's Sabre
Daryl Homer, Jamaica, N.Y.
Evan Prochniak, Philadelphia, Pa.
Eric Fass, Beverly Hills, Calif.
Aleksander Ochocki, Clark, N.J.

Women's Epee
Courtney Hurley, San Antonio, Texas
Neely Brandfield-Harvey
Katharine Holmes, Washington D.C.
Ashley Severson, Franklin Lakes, N.J.

Women's Foil
Nzihgha Prescod, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Lee Kiefer, Lexington, Ky.
Margaret Lu, Greenwich, Conn.
Eve Levin, New York, N.Y.

Women's Sabre
Lian Osier, Battle Ground, Wash.
Nicole Glon, College Station, Pa.
Samantha Roberts, Wexford, Pa.
Celina Merza, Wayne, N.J.

2010 U.S. Cadet World Championship Team
April 2-10, 2010, Baku, Azerbaijan

Men's Epee
Andrew Meyers, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Ayyub Ibrahim, Bronx, N.Y.
Alexander Eldeib, Burke, Va.

Men's Foil
Alexander Massialas, San Francisco, Calif.
Race Imboden, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Brian Kaneshige, Maplewood, N.J.

Men's Sabre
Alexander Ryjik, Alexandria, Va.
Will Spear, Wynantskill, N.Y.
Eugene Chung, Olney, Md.

Women's Epee
Katharine Holmes, Washington D.C.
Isabella Barna, Bend, Ore.
Ashley Severson, Franklin Lakes, N.J.

Women's Foil
Lee Kiefer, Lexington, Ky.
Margaret Lu, Greenwich, Conn.
Mona Shaito, Garland, Texas

Women's Sabre
Celina Merza, Wayne, N.J.
Sarah Pak, Roslyn, N.J.
Skyla Powers, Decatur, Ga.

Coaches: Men's Epee Sebastien Dos Santos (Beaverton, Ore.); Women's Epee Maureen Griffin (San Francisco, Calif.); Men's Foil Mauro Hamza (Pearland, Texas); Women's Foil Mike Pederson (San Francisco, Calif.); Junior Men's Sabre Yury Gelman (Brooklyn, N.Y.); Cadet Men's Sabre Sergey Isayenko (Astoria, N.Y.); Women's Sabre Wes Glon (State College, Pa.)

 Medical Staff: Brian Hardy (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Kyle Momsen (Owatonna, Minn.)

Armorers: Mathew Porter (Pacifica, Calif.) and Dan Dechaine (Claremont, Calif.)

Team Manager: Paul Fitzgerald (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

Team Leader: Alex Ryjik (Alexandria, Va.)

2010 Junior and Cadet World Championship Schedule
April 2-10, 2010, Baku, Azerbaijan
April 2            Individual Cadet Men's Sabre and Cadet Women's Epee
April 3            Individual Cadet Women's Foil and Cadet Men's Epee
April 4            Individual Cadet Women's Sabre and Cadet Men's Foil
April 5            Individual Junior Men's Sabre and Junior Women's Epee
April 6            Individual Junior Women's Foil and Junior Men's Epee
April 7            Individual Junior Women's Sabre and Junior Men's Foil
April 8            Junior Team Men's Sabre and Women's Epee
April 9            Junior Team Women's Foil and Men's Epee
April 10            Junior Team Women's Sabre and Men's Foil