EVANSTON, Ill. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's fencing team scored a 22-5 victory over University of Detroit Mercy this evening on the first day of the Schiller Duals hosted by Northwestern University at Patten Gymnasium in Evanston, Ill.
The Lyons ended their first day of competition with the victory over Detroit Mercy following losses to Wayne State University (20-7), United States Air Force Academy (22-5), University of the Incarnate Word (20-7) and Lawrence University (18-9).
Individually, sophomore Grant Smith Oakland, Calif.) was 11-3, while classmate Phillip Nunnink (Saint Louis, Mo.) was 10-4 in the foil. Sophomore Oliver Smink (Rochester, N.Y.) and first year Jonathan Quail (Scotia, N.Y.) each recorded five wins each in the sabre for the Lyons.
Wheaton swept all nine saber bouts in addition to winning all but one foil bout. The Lyons also picked up five wins in epee to win the majority in all three weapons. First year Demani Howard (Clinton, Conn.) nipped sophomore Elijah Kerkmaz (Madison Heights, Mich.) 5-4, before blanking first year Mac Gray by a count of 5-0. Smink allowed just one point to Kermaz and shut out Gray as well, while Quail surrendered just one point to Gray, before defeating Kerkmaz, 5-4, in the sabre. The Lyons picked up three more points in the weapon due to forfeits. Nunnink and Smith both won a pair of bouts in foil for Wheaton. Nunnink allowed just one point to both sophomore Phillip Hunter (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and first year Darick Galcia in a pair of 5-1 wins, while Smith defeated Hunter by a 5-2 margin and downed Garcia, 5-3. First year Solomon Taylor (Evanston, Ill.) picked up a win in his homecoming with a 5-2 effort over Hunter. Like the sabre, the Lyons tacked on three more points with three forfeits in the weapon. First years Jun-Ho Chen (Middletown, N.Y.) and Daniel Mesele (Portland, Maine) both racked up a pair of victories in epee for Wheaton, while first year Nick Allario (Westerly, R.I.) also registered a win. Chen put together a 5-2 win over junior Diego Grijalva-Barrera (South Lyon, Mich.) and posted a 5-3 showing against first year Jonathan Noel. Mesele recorded 5-4 wins over both Noel and Gryalva. Allario registered his first collegiate win over Noel with a 5-4 decision.
Wheaton was defeated by Wayne State University. The Lyons picked up four wins in foil and three in sabre. Nunnink and Smith each picked up a pair of wins for Wheaton. Nunnink dropped just one point in a 5-1 win over senior Mitchell Gatrell (Livonia, Mich.) and defeated first year Finn McIsaac (West Bloomfield, Mich.), 5-2. Smith also took down Gatrell by a 5-1 count and was the victor over first year Lukas Tsao (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), 5-3. Quail earned two wins in sabre for the Lyons. He surrendered just one point in a 5-1 win over senior Hunter Battisfore (Hancock, Mich.) to go with a 5-3 victory over sophomore Brendan Goeddeke (Sterling Heights, Mich.). Smink also picked up a win in sabre over Battisfore, 5-4, for Wheaton.
Air Force posted a 22-5 win over the Lyons. Wheaton registered three of its points in the sabre. Smink, Quail and Howard all posted wins over senior William Barber (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Smink earned a 5-1 triumph, while Quail came out with a 5-2 decision. Howard's first win of the day came after a 5-3 effort. Wheaton also gained two points in the foil. Nunnink and Smith each tallied 5-3 victories over first year Sean Oh (Atlanta, Ga.).
The Lyons dominated foil by a 7-2 count, but ultimately fell to University of the Incarnate Word, 20-7. Smith and Nunnink were unblemished in the match. Smith and Nunnink both defeated senior Nolan Chez (Minnetonka, Minn.) by a score of 5-2. Smith downed sophomore Luke McKinley (Bloomington, Minn.), 5-3, while Nunnink recorded a win over the same opponent by a score of 5-4. Nunnink had little trouble, scoring a 5-1 win over sophomore Davis Dore (York, England), while Smith posted a 5-2 win over Dore. Taylor also picked up a win in foil over McKinley by a count of 5-3.
Wheaton tallied at least one point in every weapon against Lawrence, but suffered an 18-9 loss. The Lyons took seven of nine foil bouts to go with a win each in epee and sabre. Smith led the way with wins in all three of his bouts. He cruised over senior Oliver Reece (Scarsdale, N.Y.), 5-1. Smith also recorded a 5-4 win over sophomore Vinicius Alonso de Paula (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and a 5-3 triumph over junior Eli Freyre de Andrade (Denver, Colo.). Nunnink and first year Charles Pedersen (Shoreham, N.Y.) each took two of three bouts at foil for Wheaton. Nunnink dropped just one point to both Reece and sophomore Mateo Wilkins (Rochester, Minn.) in 5-1 wins. His only loss was a 5-4 setback to Alonso de Paula. Smink picked up a point for the Lyons in sabre with a 5-3 decision over sophomore Carlos Garcia de la Puente (Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica) and Chen earned a 5-2 win for Wheaton in epee over first year Brennan Rieck.
The Lyons to Patten Gymnasium tomorrow for Day Two of the Schiller Duals against University of California San Diego at 9:00 a.m. EST.
