MHS girls take fifth overall
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
On top of taking Calculus AB, Emily Wu found some extra time over the summer to fence, something that she has not normally done much in the offseason.
”I wanted to be ready to lead my squad this year,” Wu said. “I wanted to make this a good season.”
The West Windsor-Plainsboro North senior is off to a good start as she helped the Knight girls sabre squad make history by medalling at the Santelli Championships on Saturday for the first time in program history. Wu, Elysia Wang, Katie Khaw and Kristina Leung captured third place.
”It was really exciting because it was some tough competition,” Wu said. “We wanted to go in medalling. We were aiming high, hoping for the best.”
The Knights got off to a flying start with a 19-2 first round. That set the tone for the day.
”First round, it was a good confidence boost,” Wu said. “We just fenced one touch at a time and never gave up. It was more reassuring after that. We went in wanting to place.”
The Knights foil finished 12th and epee, even without squad leader who was fencing at a North America Cup event in Portland, Ore., finished 18th. WW-P North placed seventh overall among teams.
”My foil squad has really come on,” said Knights coach Gail Kedoin. “They’d been staggering along throughout the year, and I think how they did this weekend proved how far they’ve come along and how well they can do. It put them in the right frame of mind and they know what they need to work on. It was a very positive experience for them. I only had one returning fencer, so it’s a very young squad.
”I’m very pleased with epee. I put Claudia Wai in the A slot. She’s not normally one of my starters, but I did it because I knew her versatility. She did really well. In the A slot, she was 50-50. That gives her a lot of confidence. I put her in the A slot and she was still able to hold her own.”
Montgomery High School finished fifth in the team standings. Originally reported as finishing eighth, an error in foil scoring was corrected that helped slide them up three spots for a much more satisfying finish.
”All three weapons had experiences that are going to help them progress forward,” said MHS coach Johanna Snedeker. “The confidence the foils built up, and the sabres, they learned a lot. Some of the things that Zoe (D’Costa, a freshman) saw are going to help make her a better fencer, and they’re going to be better. The epees learned a harder lesson. They had such an easy schedule first round. It’s not going to be easy moving forward. You can’t be complacent. All three experiences are going to make us stronger as a team.”
The Cougars’ foil squad of Allison Resnick, Mindy Tieu, Juliet Job and Deepa Mahadevan placed third, the epee placed seventh after losing only one bout in the first round, and the sabre took ninth to win the second tier.
”The foil, I was just thrilled with them,” Snedeker said. “Allie Resnick was undefeated in the morning. She did a great job. In the afternoon, we did some switching around and the girls supported each other and they did great. It was a thrill to see them on the podium getting their medals. I was thrilled for them.”
WW-P South placed 20th overall. The Pirates were sixth in foil, 18th in sabre and 46th in epee.
”It felt pretty good,” said Pirates coach Ed Chang. “It was a good gauge on the season. Our foil squad is a really young. Our A is a junior and C is a freshman. Our A, Kristen Kemnitzer only dropped one bout all day. She beat all the best As with the exception of one. Our C only dropped two or three bouts all day. We have to work on our B. Long-term, we could have a pretty good performance in districts. They’re really strong right now, and they’re young. Sabre also placed top 24 even with missing our top girl, so that showed our B and C and backup are pretty solid.
”We’re in that burgeoning position,” he said. “We want to see how much we can improve.”
The Hun School placed 34th with foil finishing best in 16th place.
For Wu, medalling in her final Santelli tournament was a thrill. She’s been fencing just three years, and got her start with the Knights as a sophomore when she was looking to add an activity. She played lacrosse her first two years of high school and will again this season.
”I picked up fencing sophomore year,” Wu said. “I went in during tryouts and learned the footwork. I practiced all through sophomore year with my squad.
”We had good squad leaders. A lot of it is your mindset. Once you get a little skill, it’s a lot of mental. You think on your feet and change it up if you need to.”
After a year of JV fencing, Wu jumped into the varsity lineup last season and watched her squad improve. This year, the sabres improved again.
”Last year the sabre squad placed ninth,” Wu recalled. “Last year, we did really well. We didn’t place as well in previous years so ninth was a great achievement last year too. We wanted to aim higher. Our coach helps us a lot. She gives us a lot of confidence.”
Kedoin juggled her sabre fencers’ positions a bit Saturday based on their health. Neither Wu nor Wang were 100 percent, but they weren’t going to miss the tournament.
”I really love fencing,” Wu said. “Even with a cold, I try my best. Me and Elysia were both feeling a little under the weather. We were happy we were able to do so well.
”We’ve been doing pretty well in the meets. Everyone is improving. We cheer for each other and make sure each of us has the confidence to go in.”
Their confidence grew as the tournament progressed, just as their confidence has grown with every meet this year.
”We felt pretty confident we’d be able to go pretty far this year,” Wu said. “We saw Katie at tryouts and knew she was pretty good.
”It took a little time to come together. We have a lot of confidence now. We know how to talk to each other and boost each other when we’re down.”
The sabre squad lived up to Kedoin’s expectations for a big finish at the Santelli as they earned their first medal.
”I knew I had a strong sabre squad,” Kedoin said. “I knew they could do well. I thought they could make the top pool, the top eight slots. I didn’t know how we’d line up with the other top teams. We don’t really fence Columbia and Livingston throughout the year. We only see them at the state tournament.”
After a strong finish to the Santelli, there’s newfound confidence among the sabre fencers and the Knights team. They are looking to build on their momentum.
”It definitely shows we have a big chance at districts,” Wu said. “We really want to make the Sweet 16. The sabre has never made it. As a team, we’re hoping to get to the Sweet 16 this year. We have as solid epee and foil. If we keep working hard, we’ll get there.”