USA Fencing

(Columbus, Ohio) – Just days before she is scheduled to leave for the World University Games in Kazan, Russia, Courtney Dumas (Shaker Heights, Ohio) chose to fence one last tournament in her home state – the USA Fencing National Championships.

What was scheduled to be a practice tournament before the Northwestern University junior leaves for Russia soon became her first ever National Championship title win as Dumas won gold in the Division I women’s epee event.

Seeded 37^th in the table of 128, Dumas won four bouts in the early rounds on Sunday to advance to the semifinals against Mason Speta (Chicago, Ill.) Dumas overcame technical difficulties during the bout to earn a 15-8 victory.

“We had equipment malfunctions and maintaining focus and trying to make sure I didn’t lose momentum was a challenge. I just tried to keep breathing and focused on getting the next touch. If I do that, the bout will take care of itself,” Dumas said.  

In the gold medal final, Dumas took a 5-2 lead after the first period and didn’t look back. Up 11-8 at the end of the second period, Dumas went on to finish the bout, 15-11, to win gold.

“It feels great that all the hard work I put in was paying off. This was just a practice tournament for World University Games, but it definitely gives me an energy boost and some extra confidence,” said Dumas who will fence on Sunday at the World University Games.

Fencing in Columbus also gave Dumas’s family a valuable opportunity to see her fence in a National Championships.

“It’s not quite home, but it’s great because a lot of my family came down and they provided a lot of support,” said Dumas whose hometown of Shaker Heights is just over two hours away from Columbus. “Now that I’m off to college, my parents don’t get to come to my events as much. In high school, at least one of my parents was with me at all the tournaments, so it’s good for them to see me fence again and how much I’ve grown over the past two years.”

On the final day of Veteran World Team qualification, 24 athletes earned berths on the team that will represent the United States in Varna, Bulgaria in October.

David Seuss (Charlestown, Mass.) won back-to-back bronze medals at the 2011 and 2012 Veteran Worlds as a 60-69 saber fencer.

On Sunday, Seuss secured his third trip to the Vet Worlds with a 10-6 victory over Wang Yung (Bellevue, Wash.) – the 2011 Veteran World Champion.

“I don’t come to these things expecting to win. Maybe if I keep doing this I’ll learn to give myself a break,” joked Seuss who won his first National Championship in 2011. “In some ways it’s better than the first one because you always worry that the first one was a fluke and that you didn’t deserve it. This one, in my mind, is more of an accomplishment. I still don’t think of myself as nearly as good as the people I fence against. This time around I had to beat Ted Smith in the semifinals and Wang Yung in the finals and they’re two of the best fencers in the world in our age group.”

Last year, Team USA won three medals in Seuss’s event at the Vet Worlds where he and Yung took bronze and Joseph Streb (Columbus, Ohio) won silver.

All three athletes will return to the team in October with 2011 Veteran World Team member Ted Smith (Diamond Springs, Calif.)

Smith, whose wife Chaz Smith medaled in Austria in 2012 and will fence on this year’s team as well, was tied with Garik Gutman (Rockville, Md.) for the fourth position on the team, but won a fence-off, 10-9, to qualify for Team USA.

With just three months to train for the Veteran Worlds, Seuss said preparation will begin immediately.

“I’m flying back tomorrow and will be back training again and my coach will have a list of things to work on, believe me,” he said. “I’ve had two thirds in a row at the Vet Worlds. I wouldn’t say I have expectations to do better than that, but I sure would like to move up a notch – or two.”

Ray Sexton III (Round Rock, Texas) added a third weapon to his schedule for the 2013 Veteran Worlds with a win in +70 men’s saber. Up 5-1 over Peter Calderon (Plainsboro, N.J.) after the first period of their gold medal final, Sexton closed the bout out at 10-2. Sexton qualified for the epee and foil squads at his 15^th Veteran Worlds in Bulgaria and will be joined on the squad by Calderon, Victor Bianchini (San Diego, Calif.) and Lucas Dobrzanski (Bakersfield, Calif.) Jim Adams (Rockville, Md.) originally qualified for the men’s saber team, but withdrew and will fence epee and foil only. Dobrzanski, who was previously named the team’s first alternate, was named to the team.

In the Division II men’s epee competition, Wesley Barja (Charlotte, N.C.) defeated CJ Fleck (Sicklerville, N.J.), 15-10, in the gold medal final to take the title in a field of 162 fencers.

Two Division III events were held on Sunday with Will Wise (Lake Oswego, Ore.) winning the men’s foil title and Zara Moss (Cranberry Township, Pa.) taking gold in women’s saber. Wise defeated Ian Neilson (Elkins Park, Pa.), 15-13, in the final bout and Moss won her gold medal bout over Ilana Solomon (Setaucket, N.Y.), 15-10.

After winning gold and bronze medals at the first two veteran NACs of the season, 2012 Veteran World Team member Val Kizik (Indianapolis, Ind.) won his first veteran men’s 50-59 saber National Championship title on Sunday. Kizik defeated 2012 Veteran World Champion Will Milne (Redwood City, Calif.), 10-7, in semifinals. Kizik’s finals opponent would be 2011 Veteran World Team member Dmitri Kopylov (Roseland, N.J.) who was coming off a pair of wins over past Veteran World medalists and needed to defeat Kizik to pass Don Anthony Jr. (Columbus, Ohio) in the standings to qualify for the team. Kopylov had defeated Anthony, a 2010 Veteran World silver medalist, by a score of 10-7, in the quarters and 2011 Veteran World silver medalist Josh Runyan (San Diego, Calif.), 10-6, in the semis.

With Kopylov to a 3-0 lead, Kizik scored five straight touches before the break and held onto his lead until Kopylov fought for a tie at eight. Kizik scored again and needed one more touch to take the win. Kopylov was awarded a touch to tie the bout, but Kizik called for video replay and was awarded the touch and the victory, 10-8.

Although Kopylov fell short of qualifying for Team USA, the 50-59 men’s saber squad remains stacked with medal hopefuls as Milne, Runyan and Anthony are past medalists and Kizik placed in the top eight during his Veteran World debut last year.  

A four-time Veteran World medalist, Anne-Marie Walters (Parkland, Fla.) found herself in danger of not qualifying for the U.S. team when she slipped to fourth after a NAC season that began with a gold medal in December, but ended with a seventh-place result in March. Walters defeated her college teammate and three-time Veteran World medalist Jennette Starks-Faulkner (Middletown, Conn.), 10-9, in the quarters and won her semifinal bout over Elizabeth Merritt (Washington, D.C.), 10-5.  In the gold medal bout, Walters defeated Lynn Botelho (Indiana, Pa.), 9-5. Walters, Starks-Faulkner, Botelho and 2012 Veteran World Team member Ursula Szpak (Trophy Club, Texas) all qualified for the Veteran World Team.

Madelon Rosenfeld (New York City, N.Y.) qualified for her fourth straight Veteran World Team with her women’s 60-69 foil win on Sunday. Rosenfeld’s final bout against two-time Veteran World medalist Jude Offerle (Winnetka, Ill.) was tied at the end of regulation. Rosenfeld won the coin toss and was given priority for the overtime period. When neither athlete scored, Rosenfeld was awarded the win. Bronze medalist Ruth Dodge (Loudon, N.Y.) qualified for her first Vet World Team and Muriel Cawthorn (Rehoboth, N.Y.) will fence on her third U.S. team.

In the veteran women’s +70 foil competition, all four medalists qualified for the Veteran World Team. The gold medal was a rematch of the +70 epee final bout with Patricia Bedrosian (Malibu, Calif.) taking on Bettie Graham (Washington, D.C.) While Graham won their epee final on Friday, Bedrosian took gold in foil, 10-4. Both athletes will compete in both epee and foil in Bulgaria where Bedrosian will fence on her 15^th Veteran World Team and Graham on her 11^th. Ellen O’Leary (Decatur, Ga.) took bronze to qualify for her third squad in Bulgaria. The 2012 +70 Veteran Saber World Champion is the only U.S. woman to qualify for this year’s team in all three weapons. Bronze medalist Diane Reckling (White Plains, N.Y.) qualified for her seventh Veteran World Team.

Three-time Olympian Ann Marsh-Senic (Royal Oak, Mich.) won her fifth straight national level gold medal in the veteran women’s 40-49 foil competition on Sunday. Marsh-Senic, who is undefeated in veteran events since aging in two years ago, didn’t give up more than five touches to any opponent during the day and defeated Margaret Fagan (New York City, N.Y.), 10-3, in the gold medal final. As the 40-49 age group is not contested at Veteran Worlds, no national team was selected in 40-49 events this weekend.  

After winning bronze in the veteran men’s 40-49 saber event at the last three national tournaments, Columbus native Misha Mironovas broke through to win his first national championship title with a 10-7 final victory over Jae Sang (San Marino, Calif.)

Two veteran team events also held on Sunday.

Three-time Veteran World Team Champion Delia Turner (Philadelphia, Pa.) joined Manhattan Fencing Center athletes Natalia Oblonsky (New York City, N.Y.), Katia Schlienger (New York City, N.Y.) and Patricia Silva (Brooklyn, N.Y.) in the women’s team saber competition. Turner anchored MFC to a 45-43 gold medal victory over Salle Auriol Seattle fencers Anita Degen (Seattle, Wash.), Sandra Lince (Seattle, Wash.) and Cynthia Villyard (Albuquerque, N.M.)

In the bronze medal match, Broadswords defeated IndySabre, 45-30.

The New York Athletic Club won gold in the veteran men’s team epee competition after placing second in 2012. Featuring a lineup that included Olympian Jim Carpenter (Red Bank, N.J.) and teammates Michael Aufrichtig (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Michael Feldschuh (New York City, N.Y.) and Jon Normile (McLean, N.J.), defeated the reigning National Champions, Fencing Academy of Nevada, by a score of 45-24, in the semifinals.

Fencing for gold, the NYAC won or tied eight of the nine bouts against Victorious Secret to take the title. Victorious Secret fencers Jere Bothelio (San Jose, Calif.), Michael Perka (Mountain View, Calif.), Lou Mariani (Santa Clara, Calif.) and Mark Wheeler (San Jose, Calif.) claimed the silver medal.

In the bronze medal match, Fencing Academy of Nevada defeated Alliance, 45-34.

Competition continues on Monday with the schedule as follows:

8:30 a.m.
Division II Men’s Foil
Division III Men’s Saber
Division III Women’s Epee

11 a.m.
Veteran Women’s Team Foil

1:30 p.m.
Division IA Men’s Epee

2 p.m.
Division IA Women’s Foil

3 p.m.
Division II Women’s Saber

Top eight results are as follows:

Veteran Men’s Team Epee
1. NYAC
2. Victorious Secret
3. Fencing Academy of Nevada
4. Alliance
5. Los Angeles International Fencing Center
6. The Vetuation
7. Fortune 40 50 60
8. Team Medeo Epee

Division IA Women’s Epee
1. Courtney Dumas (Shaker Heights, Ohio)
2. Sofya Tkachman (Sugar Land, Texas)
3. Shawn Wallace (SIN)
3. Mason Speta (Chicago, Ill.)
5. Erica Korb (New York City, N.Y.)
6. Amy Orlando (Greenfield, Ind.)
7. Jennifer Horowitz (Los Angeles, Calif.)
8. Safaa Ibrahim (Bronx, N.Y.)

Veteran 40-49 Men’s Saber
1. Misha Mironovas (Columbus, Ohio)
2. Jae Sang (San Marino, Calif.)
3. Sergey Makogon (Sandy, Utah)
3. Tony Jochaniewicz (Oak Park, Ill.)
5. Ronald Thornton (Fredericksburg, Va.)
6. Stephen Andrews (Bloomington, Ind.)
7. Laszlo Kopits (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
8. William Becker (Gilbert, Ariz.)

Veteran Men’s 50-59 Saber
1. Val Kizik (Indianapolis, Ind.)
2. Dmitri Kopylov (Roseland, N.J.)
3. Joshua Runyan (San Diego, Calif.)
3. Will Milne (Redwood City, Calif.)
5. Don Anthony Jr. (Columbus, Ohio)
6. Andrew Houle (North Dartmouth, Mass.)
7. Aleksey Dyakov (Auburndale, Mass.)
8. Steve Wildman (Louisburg, Kans.)

Veteran Men’s 60-69 Saber
1. David Seuss (Charlestown, Mass.)
2. Wang Yung (Bellevue, Wash.)
3. Ted Smith (Diamond Springs, Calif.)
3. Garik Gutman (Rockville, Md.)
5. Joseph Streb (Columbus, Ohio)
6. Keith Baker (McLean, Va.)
7. Phil Sbarbaro (Vienna, Va.)
8. Wes Morrow (Morgantown, W.Va.)

Veteran Men’s +70 Saber
1. Ray Sexton III (Round Rock, Texas)
2. Peter Calderon (Plainsboro, N.J.)
3. John Terninko (Nottingham, N.H.)
3. Victor Bianchini (San Diego, Calif.)
5. Lucas Dobrzanski (Bakersfield, Calif.)
6. Tung-Shan Chang (Lexington, Mass.)
7. Thomas Fischer (Raytown, Mo.)
8. Robert Sweeney (Sewanee, Tenn.)

Veteran Women’s 40-49 Foil
1. Ann Marsh-Senic (Royal Oak, Mich.)
2. Margaret Fagan (New York City, N.Y.)
3. Julia Richey (Westerville, Ohio)
3. Lesley Chapman (Lexington, Ky.)
5. Erica King (Brownstown, Mich.)
6. Rachel Brown (Chicago, Ill.)
7. Monica Morrison (Seattle, Wash.)
8. Jane Carter (Bedford, Mass.)

Veteran Women’s 50-59 Foil
1. Anne-Marie Walters (Parkland, Fla.)
2. Lynn Botelho (Indiana, Pa.)
3. Elizabeth Merritt (Washington, D.C.)
3. Kristin Vines (Chatanooga, Tenn.)
5. Jennette Starks-Faulkner (Middletown, Conn.)
6. Suzanne Brown Marx (Portland, Ore.)
7. Allison Treloar (Corrales, N.M.)
8. Michelle Verhave (Purdys, N.Y.)

Veteran Women’s 60-69 Foil
1. Madelon Rosenfeld (New York City, N.Y.)
2. Jude Offerle (Winnetka, Ill.)
3. Deborah Theriault (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
3. Ruth Dodge (Loudon, N.H.)
5. Joanne Stevens (New York City, N.Y.)
6. Marsha Reichman (Bethesda, Md.)
7. Muriel Cawthorn (Rehoboth, N.Y.)
8. Jann Ream (Iowa City, Iowa)

Division II Men’s Epee
1. Wesley Barja (Charlotte, N.C.)
2. CJ Fleck (Sicklerville, N.J.)
3. Vikram Aggarwal (Southlake, Texas)
3. Michael Slonim-Gopman  (St-aten Island, N.Y.)
5. Eric Barth (Columbus, Ohio)
6. Austin Spickes (Fayettesville, Ark.)
7. John Linscott (Easthampton, Mass.)
8. Andrew Coughlan (North Andover, Mass.)

Division III Men’s Foil
1. Will Wise (Lake Oswego, Ore.)
2. Ian Neilson (Elkins Park, Pa.)
3. Victor Yin (Sunnyvale, Calif.)
3. Matthew Glover (San Francisco, Calif.)
5. Josh Propper (Hampton, N.J.)
6. Jonathan Chimento (San Francisco, Calif.)
7. Christopher Saulys (Metuchen, N.J.)
8. Adam Mack (Yardley, Pa.)

Division III Women’s Saber
1. Zara Moss (Cranberry Township, Pa.)
2. Ilana Solomon (Setaucket, N.Y.)
3. Jamie Norville (Oregon City, Ore.)
3. Olivia Herpfer (Phoenix, Ariz.)
5. Esther Bentolila (Hollywood, Calif.)
6. Mackenna Lamphere (San Clemente, Calif.)
7. Zhesi Zhuang (Portland, Ore.)
8. Dylan Devine-Casebolt  (Orangevale, Calif.)

Veteran World Team results are as follows:

Veteran Men’s 50-59 Saber World Team
Joshua Runyan (San Diego, Calif.)
Val Kizik (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Will Milne (Redwood City, N.J.)
Donald Anthony Jr. (Columbus, Ohio)
ALT 1: Dmitri Kopylov (Roseland, N.J.)
ALT 2: Andrew Houle (North Dartmouth, Mass.)
ALT 3: Dan Corrigan (Phoenix, Ariz.)
ALT 4: Steven Heck (Laurel, Md.)

Veteran Men’s 60-69 Saber World Team
Joseph Streb (Columbus, Ohio)
David Seuss (Charlestown, Mass.)
Wang Yung  (Bellevue, Wash.)
Ted Smith (Diamond Springs, Calif.)
ALT 1: Garik Gutman (Rockville, Md.)
ALT 2: Keith Baker (McLean, Va.)
ALT 3: Philip Sbarbaro (Vienna, Va.)
ALT 4: Larry Pinkus (Kensington, Md.)

Veteran Men’s +70 Saber World Team
1. Ray Sexton III (Round Rock, Texas)
2. Peter Calderon (Plainsboro, N.J.)
3. Victor Bianchini (San Diego, Calif.)
4. Lucas Dobrzanski (Bakersfield, Calif.)
ALT 1: Thomas Fischer (Raytown, Mo.)
ALT 2: Tung-Shan Chang (Lexington, Mass.)
ALT 3: Robert Sweeney (Sewanee, Tenn.)

Veteran Women’s 50-59 Foil World Team
Anne-Marie Walters (Parkland, Fla.)
Ursula Szpak (Trophy Club, Texas)
Lynn Botelho (Indiana, Pa.)
Jennette Starks-Faulkner (Middletown, Conn.)
ALT 1: Elizabeth Merritt (Washington, D.C.)
ALT 2: Kristin Vines (Chatanooga, Tenn.)
ALT 3: Michelle Verhave (Purdys, N.Y.)
ALT 4: Viveka Fox (Vergennes, Vt.)

Veteran Women’s 60-69 Foil World Team
Madelon Rosenfeld (New York City, N.Y.)
Jude Offerle (Winnetka, Ill.)
Ruth Dodge (Loudon, N.Y.)
Muriel Cawthorn (Rehoboth, N.Y.)
ALT 1: Deborah Theriault (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
ALT 2: Jann Ream (Iowa City, Iowa)
ALT 3: Joanne Stevens (New York City, N.Y.)
ALT 4: Pamela Katz (Buckeye, Ariz.)

Veteran Women’s +70 Foil World Team
1. Patricia Bedrosian (Malibu, Calif.)
2. Bettie Graham (Washington, D.C.)
3. Ellen O’Leary (Decatur, Ga.)
3. Diane Reckling (White Plains, N.Y.)
ALT 1: Catherine Radle (Suwanee, Ga.)
ALT 2: Judith Evans (Greenwich, Conn.)