USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Team USA earned three more medals at the Junior and Cadet Pan American Championships on Friday, bringing the tally for the United States to five medals during the first three days of competition.

Less than a week after winning gold and bronze at the Arizona Junior Saber World Cup, sisters Emma and Sophie Keehan (Chandler, Ariz.) stood together on the podium again in Ponce, Puerto Rico in the junior (U20) women’s saber event.

Eighteen-year-old Emma and 17-year-old Sophie came out of the pools undefeated and were seeded first and second in the direct elimination table and both athletes earned byes into the 16.

Sophie won her first two direct elimination bouts by scores of 15-4 over Veronique Lamarre (CAN) and Tania Arrayales (MEX) to advance to the medal rounds.

Emma defeated Angelica Camacho (PUR), 15-7, in the table of 16 and won her quarter-final over Maria Carreno (VEN), 15-14.

In the semifinals, Emma fenced Paola Pliego (MEX) who defeated her teammate, Kimberly Young (Gilbert, Ariz.), 15-7, in the quarter-finals.

Pliego, a three-time Junior World Team member, won the bout, 15-7.

Sophie won her semifinal bout over Julieta Toledo (MEX), 15-9, but fell a touch short of the gold medal when she lost to Pliego, 15-14, in the finals.

Fifteen-year-old Jessenia Zambrano (New York City, N.Y.) followed a 12^th place finish in the junior women’s foil event on Thursday with a silver medal in the cadet competition.

Fencing in her first international tournament, Zambrano was seeded fourth out of the pools. In the direct elimination rounds, Zambrano won her table of 16 bout over Maria Gil (VEN), 15-11, and edged Maria Griman (VEN), 8-7.

After a 15-13 victory in the semifinals over Elisabeth Hurtubise (CAN), Zambrano lost her final bout to Gabriella Cecchini (BRA), 15-2.

Seventeen-year-old Inaki De Guzman (Fairfax, Va.) placed 10^th in the junior men’s epee event. De Guzman advanced to the table of 16, but lost his bout to Fernando Orellan (MEX), 15-12.

The following athletes will fence in the third day of competition on Saturday:

Saturday, February 9
Junior Men’s Foil
Zachary Feldman (Princeton, N.J.)
David Hadler (San Francisco, Calif.)
Jake Shulman (Upper Saddle River, N.J.)

Junior Women’s Epee
Azaline Dunlap-Smith (Machias, Maine)
Sarah Waller (McKinney, Texas)
Kimberly Young (Gilbert, Ariz.)

Click here to view complete junior women’s saber results.

Click here to view complete junior men’s epee results.

Click here to view complete cadet women’s foil results.

Top eight and U.S. results are as follows:

Junior Women’s Saber Pan American Championships
1. Paola Pliego (MEX)
2. Sophie Keehan (Chandler, Ariz.)
3. Emma Keehan (Chandler, Ariz.)
3. Julieta Toledo (MEX)
5. Tania Arrayales (MEX)
6. Maria Carreno (VEN)
7. Kimberly Young (Gilbert, Ariz.)
8. Shia Rodriguez (VEN)

Junior Men’s Epee Pan American Championships
1. Marc-Antoine Blais-Belanger (CAN)
2. Aaron Jose Jimenez-Ortiz (VEN)
3. Ryan Aaron Rodriguez-Suarez (MEX)
3. Guilherme Melaragno (BRA)
6. Alexander Asuaje Polanco (VEN)
6. Erick Trujillo (MEX)
7. Fernando Orellan (MEX)
8. Dario Ibarra

10. Inaki De Guzman (Fairfax, Va.)

Cadet Women’s Foil Pan American Championships
1. Gabriela Cecchini (BRA)
2. Jessenia Zambrano (New York City, N.Y.)
3. Lydia Casillas (MEX)
3. Elisabeth Hurtubise (CAN)
5. Juliana Velasquez Agudelo (COL)
6. Maria Griman (VEN)
7. Sofya Romashina (CAN)
8. Nicole Camozzato (BRA)