MADISON, N.J -- The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's fencing dropped their three matches as it completed day one of competition at the Drew Invitational in the Simon Forum and Athletic Center throughout Saturday in Madison, N.J.
The Lyons fell to host Drew University in the opening match 21-6. They fought hard against Haverford College but ultimately fell 14-13 to the Fords before they fell again to Drew University at the end of the day, 20-7.
Sophomore
Phillip Nunnink (Kansas City, Mo.) led the way for Wheaton with a strong showing at 7-2 on the day. Sophomore
Oliver Smink (Rochester, N.Y.) performed well with a 6-3 record in sabre competition. First year
Jonathan Quail (Scotia, N.Y.) saw the most action for the Lyons in their season opener, competing in 12 bouts and winning six of them. First year
Jun-Ho Chen (Middletown, N.Y.) and sophomore
Grant Smith (Oakland, Calif.) both picked up four wins on the day, with the former finishing at 4-6 and the latter at 4-2 for the Lyons.
The day began with the Lyons facing Drew in the morning. Wheaton was swept out of the sabre portion of the competition, with Drew posting a perfect 9-0 record with that weapon. The first round of the foil portion of the meet was taken by Drew, but Smith fought back for a point to make it 2-1 at the end of the round. Nunnink and Smith both won their matches in round two to square the score at 3-3 heading into the final round. Once again Nunnink and Smith came up big to take down Drew in the third round of the foil, winning the portion of the event 5-4. The epee was won by Drew 8-1 as the hosts took the opening match by a score of 21-6. Chen earned the lone point for the Lyons in the epee, winning a bout in the second round 5-3.
Wheaton dropped its second match of the day in heartbreaking fashion, losing to Haverford by a score of 14-13. The sabre was its best weapon with the Lyons overwhelming the Fords, 8-1. Smink, first year
Demani Howard (Cilnton, Conn.) and Quail dominated the event, winning all three rounds and losing only one bout. The epee was a different story, as the Fords took that weapon by a score of 8-1. Chen scored the only point for Wheaton in the second round. The foil was the closest event of the three. Haverford took a 2-1 advantage after Nunnink was the only Lyon to win his bout. Nunnink was the lone winner again in round two, and both himself and Smith won their bouts in the third round to tie the score at 4-4. First year
Charles Pedersen (Shoreham, N.Y.) was defeated in his final bout, giving the Fords the win 14-13.
Wheaton faced off against Drew University for the second time to close out the day. The visiting side fell short in the sabre, 7-2. Smink was the only Lyon to win his bouts, taking two in the last two rounds. The foil saw a slight improvement from Wheaton as Smith and Taylor both took wins in round one. The second round saw Smith and Pedersen drop their bouts, with Taylor as the lone winner. With a tied score of 3-3 heading into round three, the Lyons were bested by a talented Drew side as they dropped the foil event by a score of 6-3. Chen took two of the three bouts in epee, but Wheaton dropped the weapon, 7-2, in the 20-7 loss to the Rangers.
The Lyons will stay in Madison, N.J. for another day as the Drew Invitational continues on Sunday. Wheaton takes on Johns Hopkins University to start the day at 9:00 a.m. before its takes on Stevens Institute of Technology, Wagner College, Haverford College, Lafayette College and Long Island University-Brooklyn as the Invitational meet wraps up day two.
