MADISON, N.J. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's fencing team was 1-5 on the second day of the Drew Invitational with a 14-13 win over Lafayette College for its first win of the year at the Simon Forum and Athletic Center in Madison, N.J.
The Lyons were led on the second day by sophomore Grant Smith (Oakland, Calif.), who posted a 13-5 record in foil over six matches. Sophomore Phillip Nunnink (Kansas City, Mo.) also posted a winning mark at 5-4 in the foil.
Smith recorded a winning record in five of the six matches for Wheaton.
The Lyons opened the day with a 24-3 loss to Johns Hopkins University. Smith accounted for two points with a pair of bout wins. He nipped sophomore Omar Reyes (Houston, Texas), 5-4, before taking down sophomore Vir Gogoi (Northville, Mich.) by a 5-3 count. Sophomore Oliver Smink (Rochester, N.Y.) picked up Wheaton's other point against the Blue Jays with a 5-4 win over sophomore Alex Pan (Dallas, Texas) in the sabre. Senior Larry Cai (Marietta, Ga.) and senior Alex Jeffords (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) both went 3-0 in the sabre for Johns Hopkins, while junior Yi Peng Sha (Lexington, Mass.) was also a perfect 3-0 in foil.
The Lyons were downed by Stevens Institute of Technology, 19-8, in their second match. Wheaton picked up five of nine points in the foil. Nunnink was a perfect 3-0 in his bouts, beginning with a 5-3 win over junior Liam Thomas (Wanaque, N.J.). He registered a 5-1 victory over sophomore David Trubetski (Newtown, Pa.) and concluded his match with a 5-2 triumph over sophomore Ricardo Pires (Lisbon, Portugal). Smith won two of three bouts with a 5-2 win over Pires and a 5-1 decision over Thomas. Trubetski led Stevens with a pair of wins in the foil. Lyon first year Jun-Ho Chen (Middletown, N.Y.) won two of three bouts at epee with a 5-1 win over first year Donovan Aggeler (Denver, Colo.) and a 5-2 result over junior Riley Parker (Austin, Texas). Smink also picked up a point with a 5-3 win at sabre over sophomore Chinli Ong (Jersey City, N.J.). First year Ruilin Liu (Shanghai, China) and sophomore Spencer Depew (Bernardsville, N.J.) each picked up three wins at sabre for the Ducks.
The Lyons fell to Wagner College 16-11, despite taking six of nine bouts in the foil. Smith, first year Charles Pedersen (Shoreham, N.Y.) and Nunnink all won two of three in the foil. Smith blanked sophomore Liam Conroy (Staten Island, N.Y.), 5-0, and defeated senior Diego Lara (Baja California, Mexico), 5-2. Nunnink also took Lara down, 5-2, and shutout Conroy as well. Pedersen picked up Wheaton's only win over first year Jakub Vrtilek (Brno, Czech Republic) with a 5-3 result, while also surrendering just one point to Conroy. Smink picked up a point in the sabre with a 5-3 victory over junior Charlie Dolan (Medway, Mass.) and Chen took two of three bouts at epee. He defeated sophomore AJ Sako (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 5-2, and did not allow a point to first year Jackson Wheeler (South Orange, N.J.).
Wheaton was defeated by Haverford College, 19-8. The Lyons enjoyed their best showing of the day in sabre against the Fords, winning five bouts. Smink won all three of his bouts, including 5-1 wins over both sophomores Osaretin Idahor (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Andy Loo (Newton, Mass.). He also put together a 5-3 win over first year Stephen Yarosh (Broomfield, Colo.). Lyon first year Demani Howard (Clinton, Conn.) won two of three bouts, including a 5-2 win over junior Greg Roumiantsev (Southborough, Mass.) and a 5-4 victory over Loo. Idahor led Haverford with two wins in the sabre. Smith picked up Wheaton's only point in the foil with a 5-4 triumph over senior Henry Fedonchik (New York, N.Y.). First years Conrad Seib-Levinson (New York, N.Y.) and Oliver Po (Bernardsville, N.J.) were both perfect at 3-0 in foil for the Fords. Chen registered a pair of wins in epee for the Lyons. He defeated junior Kenji Gullo (Portland, Ore.), 5-3, and sophomore Ezra Weintroub (Brookline, Mass.), 5-1. First year Ian Alvarez (Menlo Park, Calif.) was 2-0 in the weapon to lead Haverford.
Wheaton overcame Lafayette by a point for its first win of the year at 14-13. The Lyons won seven of nine bouts at foil, led by Smith, who was a perfect 3-0. He shut out first year Owen Riley (Berkeley Heights, N.J.), before ringing up a pair of 5-3 victories over first years William Nicoll (Monroe, N.Y.) and Ryan Kramer (Bethesda, Md.). First year Solomon Taylor (Evanston, Ill.) and Pedersen each won a pair of bouts at foil as well for Wheaton. Taylor did not surrender a point in his two wins, defeating Kramer and Riley, while Pedersen allowed a point to Kramer and blanked Riley in his two victories. Nicoll came up with two wins to lead the Leopards in the weapon. The Lyons won five of four bouts in sabre, fueled by a pair of wins each from Smink and first year Jonathan Quail (Scotia, N.Y.). Smink recorded a pair of 5-1 triumphs over sophomore Jordan Ginsberg (White Plains, N.Y.) and senior Christopher Rafferty (Doylestown, Pa.). Quail nipped Rafferty, 5-4, before taking down Ginsberg by a 5-3 count. Howard surrendered just two points to Rafferty to pick up a win as well. Sophomore Nikita Kogan (Watchung, N.J.) was a perfect 3-0 in sabre for Lafayette. Chen took two of three bouts at epee for Wheaton. Both victories were close at 5-4 over first year Henry Cohen (Highland Park, Ill.) and sophomore Ryan Leibowitz (Randolph, N.J.). Senior Tyler Morse (New Canaan, Conn.) led the Leopards at epee, going 2-0.
The Lyons capped the weekend with a 19-8 loss to Long Island University Brooklyn, despite dominating foil with eight of nine bouts in the win column. Smith and Pederson were both undefeated against the Sharks. Smith rung up a pair of 5-0 wins over junior Phillip Manitt (East Setauket, N.Y.) and Mas Castro to go with a 5-4 decision over sophomore Brendan Wadley (Jersey City, N.J.). Pedersen also blanked Manitt and Castro for Wheaton, while giving up just one point to Wadley. Taylor won two of three bouts with a pair of shutouts over Castro and Manitt.
The Lyons return to the strip when they travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass. to compete in the Syd Fadner Invitational hosted by Boston College on Saturday, November 22 at 12:00 p.m.
