USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – The U.S. Men’s Epee Team concluded the World Cup season with its best individual and team results of the year in Buenos Aires over the weekend.

Four U.S. fencers advanced to the table of 64 on Saturday and each were vying for positions on the team that will fence at the Senior World Championships in Kazan in July.

At the start of the weekend, the top four fencers in the national team point standings, from which the Senior World Team would be selected, were Andras Horanyi (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Adam Watson (Richfield, Vt.), Jason Pryor (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Jonathan Yergler (Long Island City, N.Y.)

Horanyi and Pryor advanced to the table of 64, but Watson and Yergler were both eliminated in the preliminary rounds.

Jimmy Moody (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Alexander Tsinis (Little Neck, N.Y.) began the weekend ranked fifth and ninth, respectively, but qualifying for the table of 64 moved Moody ahead of Yergler and into fourth.

Moody defeated 2011 Senior World team medalist Max Heinzer (SUI), 14-13, in the table of 64 and secured a position on his first Senior World Team after Tsinis, a 2013 Senior World Team member lost to Sangmin Kim (KOR), 15-10.

Pryor defeated three-time Senior World team medalist Pete Somfai (HUN), 15-7, to qualify for his second Senior World Team and Horanyi won his bout over Kazuyasu Minobe (JPN), 15-13. This marks the fourth appearance at the Senior Worlds for Horanyi, but only his first since switching from foil to epee.

By the end of the table of 64, the Senior World Team had been finalized with Horanyi, Moody and Pryor each earning positions on the squad. Although Watson did not fence on the second day, he held enough points from his results earlier in the season to qualify for his second Senior World Team.

In the table of 32, Horanyi defeated Jinsun Jung (KOR), 15-13, and Moody won his bout over Francisco Limardo (VEN), 15-7.

Pryor lost to Silvio Fernandez (VEN) to earn his top-32 result of the season.

Horanyi defeated Kim, 15-11, in the table of 16 to advance to the quarters.

While Moody lost to eventual gold medalist Bogdan Nikishin (UKR), 8-7, he climbed passed Pryor to take second in the national team standings with his first top-16 result since 2011.

Horanyi finished in eighth place – a career best as an epee fencer – after a 15-11 loss to Fernandez.

On Sunday, Horanyi, Pryor, Watson and Moody competed in the team event.

Team USA earned a bye into the table of 16 where Team USA held a 13-10 lead over Poland after five bouts.

In the sixth, Horanyi grew Team USA’s lead to seven touches when he outscored Radoslaw Zawrotniak, 12-8, to give the Americans a 25-18 lead.

Watson closed the match out against Zawrotniak for a 43-41 victory.

Team USA fenced second-ranked Switzerland in the quarter-finals. With Switzerland up, 3-2, after the second period, Pryor outscored Heinzer, 13-10, in a pivotal third to set the score at 13-10. By the end of the eighth, however, Switzerland tied the bout at 36.

Horanyi came in as anchor and outscored reigning Senior World bronze medalist Fabian Kauter, 9-3, and Team USA won the match, 45-39.

In the semifinals, Team USA lost to Russia, 45-31.

Team USA fenced top-ranked Hungary in the bronze medal final, but lost the match, 45-36, and finished fourth.

Click here to view complete individual results.

Click here to view complete team results.

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

Buenos Aires Individual Epee World Cup
1. Bogdan Nikishin (UKR)
2. Gauthier Grumier (FRA)
3. Silvio Fernandez (VEN)
3. Joerg Fiedler (GER)
5. Lorenzo Bruttini (ITA)
6. Jae Ho Song (KOR)
7. Maksym Khvorost (UKR)
8. Andras Horanyi (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

16. Jimmy Moody (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
23. Jason Pryor (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
51. Alex Tsinis (Little Neck, N.Y.)
67. Jonathan Yergler (Long Island City, N.Y.)
68. Teddy Sherrill (New York, N.Y.)
71. Alen Hadzic (New York, N.Y.)
78. Kevin Mo (Irvine, Calif.)
94. Alex House (Upton, Mass.)
99. Adam Watson (Richfield, Vt.)
100. Gabriel Canaux (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
142. Michael Raynis (Chatsworth, Calif.)

Buenos Aires Team Epee World Cup
1. France
2. Russia
3. Hungary
4. USA
5. Korea
6. Ukraine
7. Switzerland
8. Germany