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U.S. Claims 20 Medals on Day Three of Pan Am Youth and Veteran Championships

07/29/2017, 6:00pm CDT
By Kristen Henneman

Team USA swept the Veteran 1 men's foil podium in St. Thomas.

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Team USA came away with another 20 medals on the third day of competition at the Pan American Youth and Veteran Championships in St. Thomas on Thursday.

Sweeping the medals in three of the seven categories and earning 20 of the 28 possible medals, the Americans have now accumulated 64 medals with two days left in the tournament, only 18 fewer than last year’s record mark of 82.

Team USA’s veteran fencers won 13 of the 16 medals on Thursday, including all four golds as the U.S. has claimed all 12 titles in the veteran categories so far.

In the Veteran 1 men’s foil competition, Adam Feldman (Wyomissing, Pa.) won his second championship this week after bringing home gold in the Pre-Veteran men’s foil competition on Tuesday. Dale Karolak (Brighton, Mich.) claimed the silver while Michael McIntosh (Clifton, N.J.) and Thomas Mahnken (Springfield, Va.) also earned spots on the podium.

Feldman went 6-0 to earn a bye into the semifinals. His opponent was Mahnken, who defeated David Hueske (Charleston, S.C.) in the quarter-finals to guarantee a medal. Feldman won, 10-3, and bested Karolak in the final, 10-7, for his second championship.

Karolak and McIntosh both advanced directly into the semis out of pools and in a head-to-head match-up, Karolak controlled the bout, 10-4.

Hueske finished in fifth place.

In the Veteran 2 women’s epee competition, all three members of Team USA won their second medals of the Championships as each medaled on Tuesday in Veteran 2 women’s foil. Gladys Berardi (Long Valley, N.J.) earned her first gold medal and Nora Gutkovskaya (Fair Lawn, N.J.) and Rachel El-Saleh (Houston, Texas) joined Berardi on the podium with bronze medals.

Berardi outscored El-Saleh in the semifinals, 10-4. On the other side of the bracket, Gutkovskaya’s semifinal bout went down to the final touch with Gutkovskaya coming up short, 10-9.

In the final against Cledola Tello (BRA), Berardi won on priority after a 1-1 deadlock through regulation and overtime.

Karen Brynildsen (Denville, N.J.) also competed and placed fifth.

On the men’s side, the Veteran 2 epee competition saw Robert Mones (North Charleston, S.C.) stand on the top step of the podium after just out-touching his teammate Brent Myers (Fort Myers, Fla.) in the final, 10-9.

Mones reached the final with a 10-7 victory over Russell Carver (PUR). Before earning the silver medal, his second of the competition after earning bronze in Veteran 2 men’s saber the day before, Myers posted a 10-8 win against Bom Percy (CHI).

The Veteran 1 women’s saber competition featured an All-American field with Mary Wilkerson (Denver, Colo.) taking the gold, Angela Diegel (New York, N.Y.) the silver and Dede Deane (Richmond, Va.) and  Linda J. Dunn (Greenfield, Ind.) the bronze to sweep the podium.

Wilkerson finished 5-0 in pools to earn the No. 1 seed in the semifinals, where she cruised past Deane, 10-2. Competing for the championship, Wilkerson faced Diegel, who had held off Dunn, 10-5, in the semis.

Wilkerson proved too much for her teammate and took the bout, 10-4.

Jasmina Denner (Greenwich, Conn.) and Esperanza Alzona (Frederick, Md.) also competed, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.

The U.S. had just one competitor in the Youth A men’s saber competition: Jayden Hooshi (Old Westbury, N.Y.)

Hooshi was a perfect 3-0 in pools to earn the top seed and a bye into the finals, but lost to Alan A. Rodriguez (PUR), 8-4.

In the Youth B women’s foil competition, Team USA swept the podium as Mikayla Chusid (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) won the gold and Victoria Pevzner (South Orange, N.J.) claimed the silver. Chaahat Batra (Houston, Texas) and Sofia Guerra (University Place, Wash.) also brought home hardware with bronze medals.

Chusid defeated Bianca Santa (PUR) in table of 16, 10-3, and Katiria Diaz (PUR) in quarter-finals, 10-6, to secure a medal. En route to gold, Chusid then had to go through two teammates, stealing a one-point victory over No. 1 seed Batra, 10-9, before overpowering Petvzner, 10-3, for the gold.

After Pevzner advanced to the quarters with an easy 10-2 victory over Simone Combatti (CHI), she reached the podium with a 10-5 win over Alexandra Nikolic (Naples, Fla.), who had earned a dominant victory over Sofia Jimenez (CHI) in the previous round. In the semis, Pevzner secured a close 10-8 win.

To earn bronze, Guerra held her first two direct elimination opponents to just three points, outscoring Emily Rios (PUR), 10-1, in the table of 16 and Cruz Maria Rodriguez Muñoz (MEX), 10-2 in the quarters.

Batra also earned a quick 10-1 victory in the 16 over Joelys Rivera (PUR) before securing a semifinal berth with a 10-6 win against Sohah Kulkarni (Howell, N.J.)

Kulkarni defeated Catalona Unnutia Valerio (CHI), 10-5, in the 16 and finished sixth. Nikolic placed seventh.

Colin Niebergall (Lone Tree, Colo.) followed up a silver in Pre Cadet men’s foil on opening day with the gold medal in Pre Cadet men’s epee on Thursday. Chandler Wimmer (McLean, Va.) earned bronze.

Niebergall went 5-0 in pools to earn a bye to the quarter-finals, where defeated Martin Guerra (CHI), 15-4. In the semifinals, he prevailed over Benjamin Carrasco (CHI), 15-7, before handing Lucas Busnardo (BRA) a 15-9 loss to win the championship.

Wimmer also moved directly into the quarters after pools. He outscored Nicky Wu (BRA), 15-13, but then dropped the semifinal bout to Wu’s teammate Busnardo, 15-9.

Busnardo also eliminated Silvers, who missed a chance at a medal with a 15-10 loss in the quarters and took fifth.

Armaan Chawla (Kingsville, Md.) placed 11th, falling in the first round to Guerra, 15-11. Diego Cano (Miami, Fla.) also competed and finished 15th.

Click here to view complete results.

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

Youth A Men’s Saber Pan American Championships
1. Alan A. Rodriguez (PUR)
2. Jayden Hooshi (Old Westbury, N.Y.)
3. Xamil Rios (PUR)
4. Gaspar Latham (CHI)

Youth B Women’s Foil Pan American Championships
1. Mikayla Chusid (Franklin Lakes, N.J.)
2. Victoria Pevzner (South Orange, N.J.)
3. Chaahat Batra (Houston, Texas)
3. Sofia Guerra (University Place, Wash.)

5. Katiria Diaz (PUR)
6. Sohah Kulkarni (Howell, N.J.)
7. Alexandra Nikolic (Naples, Fla.)

8. Cruz Maria Rodriguez Muñoz (MEX)

Pre Cadet Men’s Epee Pan American Championships
1. Colin Niebergall (Lone Tree, Colo.)

2. Lucas Busnardo (BRA)
3. Chandler Wimmer (McLean, Va.)
3. Benjamin Carrasco (CHI)
5. Noah Silvers (Chicago, Ill.)
6. Claudio Cadiz (CHI)
7. Nicky Wu (BRA)
8. Martin Guerra (CHI)

11. Armaan Chawla (Kingsville, Md.)
15. Diego Cano (Miami, Fla.)

Veteran 1 Men’s Foil Pan American Championships
1. Adam Feldman (Wyomissing, Pa.)
2. Dale Karolak (Brighton, Mich.)
3. Michael McIntosh (Clifton, N.J.)
3. Thomas Mahnken (Springfield, Va.)
5. David Hueske (Charleston, S.C.)

6. Donald Treanor (BER)
7. Fermando Mello (BRA)

Veteran 2 Women’s Epee Pan American Championships
1. Gladys Berardi (Long Valley, N.J.)

2. Cledola Tello (BRA)
3. Nora Gutkovskaya (Fair Lawn, N.J.)
3. Rachel El-Saleh (Houston, Texas)
5. Karen Brynildsen (Denville, N.J.)

Veteran 2 Men’s Epee Pan American Championships
1. Robert Mones (North Charleston, S.C.)
2. Brent Myers (Fort Myers, Fla.)

3. Russell Carver (PUR)
3. Bom Percy (CHI)
5. Chali Roche (PUR)
6. Gregorio Acevedo (PUR)

Veteran 1 Women’s Saber Pan American Championships
1. Mary Wilkerson (Denver, Colo.)
2. Angela Diegel (New York, N.Y.)
3. Dede Deane (Richmond, Va.)
3. Linda J. Dunn (Greenfield, Ind.)
5. Jasmina Denner (Greenwich, Conn.)
6. Esperanza Alzona (Frederick, Md.)

Tag(s): Linda J. Dunn  Mary Wilkerson