USA Fencing

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – London Paralympic teammates Joey Brinson (Florence, Miss.) and Gerard Moreno (Los Angeles, Calif.) each earned medals at the Pan American Wheelchair Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Thursday, but both fell short of the gold medal needed to qualify for Rio.

Brinson and Moreno each fenced in the Category B men’s saber event where Brinson finished the pool rounds with a 4-1 record and Moreno went 2-3.

Brinson earned a bye into the semifinals while Moreno outscored Marcelo Motta (BRA), 8-7.

In the semis, Moreno fell to Pierre Mainville (CAN), a 2010 Wheelchair World medalist who was seeking to qualify for his third Paralympic Games.

Brinson defeated Rodrigo Massarutt (BRA), 15-11, in the semis, but lost to Mainville, 15-4, for gold.

Hours later, Brinson would be back on the strip for the Category B men’s epee event. After a 1-4 result in pools, Brinson lost his table of 16 bout to Marcio Neves (BRA), 15-9.

In the first women’s event of the tournament, Team USA had four fencers entered into the Category A women’s foil competition.

Although she was fencing up from Category B to Category A, two-time Wheelchair World Team member Ellen Geddes (Johnston, S.C.) won four of her seven pool bouts to take the fourth seed in the direct elimination table. Vikki Espinosa (Portland, Ore.), a 2015 Wheelchair World Team member, and Patricia Dykes (Gulf Breeze, Fla.) each finished 2-5 and 16-year-old Lauryn DeLuca (Parma, Ohio) went 1-6.

Each of the four U.S. fencers lost their quarter-final bouts. Geddes finished fifth after a 15-7 loss to Rudneia Manica (BRA) and Dykes just missed the podium with a 15-13 loss to Sylvie Morel (CAN), but earned an international career-best sixth place finish. Espinosa and DeLuca finished seventh and eighth after a pair of 15-5 losses to Brazilian opponents Monica Santos and Karina Maia.

In the Category A men’s epee event, three members of Team USA fenced in the table of 16, but were each eliminated in the first round of the direct elimination table.

Andy Quattrociocchi (Kennesaw, Ga.), a 2-4 finisher in pools, lost to Clodoaldo Zafatoski (BRA), 15-10, and finished ninth. Two-time Wheelchair World Team member Leo Curtis (Rainier, Ore.) went 1-5 in pools and placed 12th after a 15-6 loss to Sandro Colaco (BRA). Curt Oswalt (Von Ormy, Texas) had a challenging time in his pool round with a 0-5 finish. Oswalt fenced a close bout against Matthieu Hebert (CAN), but took a 15-9 loss and 13th place overall.

Competition continues on Friday with the Category A women’s epee event and Category A and B men’s foil events.   

Click here to view complete results.

Category A Men’s Epee Wheelchair Pan American Championships
1. Fabio Damasceno (BRA)
2. Moacir Ribeiro (BRA)
3. Derik Burbela (BRA)
3. Matthieu Hebert (CAN)
5. Lenilson Oliveira (BRA)
6. Alex De Souza (BRA)
7. Sandro Colaco (BRA)
8. Clodoaldo Zafatoski (BRA)

9. Andy Quattrociocchi (Kennesaw, Ga.)
12. Leo Curtis (Rainier, Ore.)
13. Curt Oswalt (Von Ormy, Texas)

Category B Men’s Epee Wheelchair Pan American Championships
1. Rodrigo Massarutt (BRA)
2. Jovane Guissone (BRA)
3. Vanderson Chaves (BRA)
3. Pierre Mainville (CAN)
5. Leandro Camargo (BRA)
6. Marcio Neves (BRA)
7. Alejandro Palavecino (ARG)
8. Edgard Rassan (BRA)

11. Joey Bronson (Florence, Miss.)

Category A Women’s Foil Wheelchair Pan American Championships  
1. Monica Santos (BRA)
2. Karina Maia (BRA)
3. Runeia Manica (BRA)
3. Sylvie Morel (CAN)
5. Ellen Geddes (Johnston, S.C.)
6. Patricia Dykes (Gulf Breeze, Fla.)
7. Vikki Espinosa (Portland, Ore.)
8. Lauryn DeLuca (Parma, Ohio)

Category B Men’s Saber Wheelchair Pan American Championships
1. Pierre Mainville (CAN)
2. Joey Brinson (Florence, Miss.)
3. Rodrigo Massarutt (BRA)
3. Gerard Moreno (Los Angeles, Calif.)
5. Marcelo Motta (BRA)
6. Leandro Costa (BRA)