USA Fencing

(Dallas, Texas) – London Olympian Race Imboden (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished 2013 with a gold medal win the Division I men’s foil competition at the December North American Cup on Sunday.

Imboden was seeded third out of the pools and defeated Michael Li (Palo Alto, Calif.), 15-1, in the table of 64 and Alex Chiang (Atlanta, Ga.), 15-8, in the 32.

Imboden held his next two opponents to single digit scores as he defeated Axel Kiefer (Lexington, Ky.), 15-6, and Howie Ho Yin Chan (HKG), 15-7.

After a 15-11 win over Turner Caldwell (San Francisco, Calif.) in the semifinals, Imboden would face off against his London teammate, Alexander Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.) for gold.

Massialas, fresh off a 15-6 win over 2013 Senior World Champion Miles Chamley-Watson (New York City, N.Y.), led the gold medal final, 11-9, but Imboden came back with six of the next seven touches to win the bout, 15-12.

“Alex and I have been fencing against each other for years and I always know he’s going to be a great opponent. He fenced well today, but I’m happy to have been able to finish it out,” Imboden said.

After receiving their medals, Imboden and Massialas were presented with the 2013 World Cup medal in recognition of the U.S. Men’s Foil Team’s No. 1 world ranking at the end of the season. Imboden, Massialas, Chamley-Watson and teammate Gerek Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif.) will return to the international circuit in January after finishing the season with a silver at the Senior Worlds.

“We made the finals at every tournament all last season and hope to continue the trend of improving with every event. We’re just looking at it one tournament at a time and I’m focusing on Paris first,” Imboden said.

With four all four fencers ranked in the top 10 individually in the world, Imboden said one of the team’s strengths is its depth.

“We all know that any of us can go in at any point and that’s the great thing. In Budapest, Miles got hurt, but we all still kept going. Gerek has had some great streaks, Alex too, and we can all step up wherever we’re needed,” Imboden said.

In the cadet competition, Farrah Lee-Elabd (San Antonio, Texas) won her second women’s epee NAC title of the year.

Lee-Elabd edged top seed Pauline Hamilton (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 15-14, in the quarter-finals and defeated Belinda Mo (Irving, Calif.), 15-7, in the semis.

In the gold medal final, Lee-Elabd took an early lead and held it throughout her bout against 2013 Cadet World Team member Kasia Nixon (Los Angeles, Calif.)

Nixon scored a late single to cut Nixon’s lead to one (14-13) and the two doubled out for a final score of 15-14.

The veteran events were largely controlled by former Veteran World medalists.

Val Kizik (Indianapolis, Ind.) has won a medal at every NAC and National Championships since moving up to the 50-59 men’s saber event during the 2011-2012 season.

The reigning National Champion and Veteran World silver medalist defeated 2010 Veteran World medalist Don Anthony (Columbus, Ohio), 10-8, in the semis and scored seven of the last nine touches in the gold medal final where he defeated Chris Matt (Fairfax Station, Va.), 10-5.

A silver medalist at the 2012 Veteran Worlds, Joseph Streb (Columbus, Ohio) escaped the semifinals with a 10-9 win over Garik Gutman (Rockville, Md.) and defeated 2011 Veteran World Champion Wang Yung (Bellevue, Wash.), 10-6, in the gold medal final.

The three-weapon rivalry between +70 fencers Ray Sexton III (Round Rock, Texas) and Jim Adams (Rockville, Md.) continued in the men’s saber event. Sexton, a 10-time individual Veteran World medalist defeated six-time individual Veteran World medalist Adams by a score of 10-5 in the gold medal final.

On the women’s side, 2013 Veteran World Team member Robin Pernice (Carlisle, Mass.) won her first NAC title with a 10-4 win over 2011 Veteran World medalist Lydia Mazorol (Simi Valley, Calif.)

The reigning Veteran World Champion, Jane Eyre (Swedesboro, N.J.), remains undefeated in the 60-69 age category with her third domestic title in the last year. Eyre defeated 2012 Veteran World medalist Linda Dunn (Indianapolis, Ind.), 10-3, in the semis and three-time Veteran World Champion Delia Turner (Philadelphia, Pa.), 10-5, in the finals.

The veteran open events were both won by Olympians.

Velizar Iliev (San Antonio, Texas), a 2000 Olympian in modern pentathlon, defeated Michael Mehall (Garden City, Idaho), 10-3, to win his second title of the weekend after taking gold in the 40-49 epee competition on Friday.

Three-time Olympian Ann Marsh-Senic (Royal Oak, Mich.) defeated four-time Veteran World medalist Ann-Marie Walters (Parkland, Fla.), 10-1, in the gold medal final.

In the veteran 40-49 saber events, Serge Lilov (Denville, N.J.) defeated Borislav Iordanov (Hollywood, Fla.), 10-3, in the gold medal final and Mary Wilkerson (Denver, Colo.) won her final bout in the women’s event over Jonglak Poomikograk (Chicago, Ill.), 10-7.

Click here to view complete results.

Top eight and complete results are as follows:

Division I Men’s Foil
1. Race Imboden (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
2. Alexander Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.)
3. Turner Caldwell (San Francisco, Calif.)
3. Miles Chamley-Watson (New York City, N.Y.)
5. Jeremy Goldstein (Westport, Conn.)
5. Howie Ho Yin Chan (HKG)
7. Sam Moelis (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
8. Sam Hardwicke-Brown (CAN)

Cadet Women’s Epee
1. Farrah Lee-Elabd (San Antonio, Texas)
2. Kasia Nixon (Los Angeles, Calif.)
3. Belinda Mo (Irving, Calif.)
3. Saanchi Kukadia (Manhasset, N.Y.)
5. Pauline Hamilton (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
6. Camille Simmons (Bellaire, Texas)
7. Barbara Vanbenthuysen (The Woodlands, Texas)
8. Tzarina Von Fritsch (San Antonio, Texas)

Veteran Open Men’s Epee
1. Velizar Iliev (San Antonio, Texas)
2. Michael Mehall (Garden City, Idaho)
3. Mark Segal (Upland, Calif.)
3. Bela Suveg (CAN)
5. Patric Wallace (Mendham, N.J.)
6. Bob Cochrane Jr. (Lake Worth, Fla.)
7. Alex Fernandez (Dallas, Texas)
8. Eli Delgado Jr. (Henderson, Nev.)

Veteran Open Women’s Foil
1. Ann Marsh-Senic (Royal Oak, Mich.)
2. Anne-Marie Walters (Parkland, Fla.)
3. Elizabeth Merritt (Washington, D.C.)
3. Margaret Fagan (New York City, N.Y.)
5. Bonnie Hennig (Simsbury, Conn.)
6. Diane Ferguson (Rockville, Md.)
7. Lesley Chapman (Lexington, Ky.)
8. Ida Choy (CAN)

Veteran 40-49 Men’s Saber
1. Serge Lilov (Denville, N.J.)
2. Borislav Iordanov (Hollywood, Fla.)
3. Sergey Makogon (Sandy, Utah)
3. Stephen Andrews (Bloomington, Ind.)
5. Paolo Roselli (New York City, N.Y.)
6. David Welch (Ridgewood, N.J.)
7. Laszlo Gal (Fishers, Ind.)
8. Mikhail Mironovas (Columbus, Ohio)

Veteran 40-49 Women’s Saber
1. Mary Wilkerson (Denver, Colo.)
2. Jonglak Poomikograk (Chicago, Ill.)
3. Dawn Wilson (Louisville, Ky.)
3. Kate Sierra (North Richland Hills, Texas)
5. Frauke Berman (New York City, N.Y.)
6. Natalia Oblonsky (New York City, N.Y.)
7. Janel Obenchain (Santa Clara, Calif.)
8. Margaret Arnecke (Sulphur Springs, Texas)

Veteran 50-59 Men’s Saber
1. Val Kizik (Indianapolis, Ind.)
2. Chris Matt (Fairfax Station, Va.)
3. Paul Hicha (Mesa, Ariz.)
3. Donald Anthony Jr. (Columbus, Ohio)
5. Andrew Houle (North Dartmouth, Mass.)
6. Will Milne (Redwood City, Calif.)
7. Dmitri Kopylov (Roseland, N.J.)
8. Joshua Runyan (San Diego, Calif.)

Veteran 50-59 Women’s Saber
1. Robin Pernice (Carlisle, Mass.)
2. Lydia Mazorol (Simi Valley, Calif.)
3. Donna Pepe (Oxford, Conn.)
3. Rachelle Arama (Phoenix, Ariz.)
5. Nam Heui Kim (Brookline, Mass.)
6. Cathleen Randall (Watertown, Mass.)
7. Rita Comes (Palo Alto, Calif.)
8. Alyce Athay-Croasdale (Wakefield, R.I.)

Veteran 60-69 Men’s Saber
1. Joseph Streb (Columbus, Ohio)
2. Wang Yung (Bellevue, Wash.)
3. David Seuss (Charlestown, Mass.)
3. Garik Gutman (Rockville, Md.)
5. Keith Baker (McLean, Va.)
6. Frank Nagorney (Pepper Pike, Ohio)
7. Larry Pinkus (Kensington, Md.)
8. Chris Trammell (Metairie, La.)

Veteran 60-69 Women’s Saber
1. Jane Eyre (Swedesboro, N.J.)
2. Delia Turner (Philadelphia, Pa.)
3. Jeannine Bender (Arlington, Va.)
3. Linda Dunn (Indianapolis, Ind.)
5. Judith Offerle (Winnetka, Ill.)
6. Jennette Starks-Faulkner (Middletown, Conn.)
7. Susan Hurst (San Diego, Calif.)
8. Agota Balot (AUT)

Veteran +70 Men’s Saber
1. Ray Sexton III (Round Rock, Texas)
2. Jim Adams (Rockville, Md.)
3. Victor Bianchini (San Diego, Calif.)
3. Lucas Dobrzanksi (Bakersfield, Calif.)
5. Eugene Hamori (New Orleans, La.)
6. William Barwick (Potomac, Md.)
7. Thomas Fischer (Raytown, Mo.)
8. Fritz Chang (Lexington, Mass.)