Summer Sports Kudos: Sophomore foilist takes gold at nationals, many other nice results
A solid contingent of foil fencers from Harker competed in the Summer National Championships in St. Louis, Mo., in late June and early July, and Ethan Choi, rising sophomore, took the gold medal in Division III Men’s Foil, an adult competition open to fencers rated D and lower, with 279 fencers, a wonderful victory! Ratings, awarded based on tournament results, run A-E, A being the best, and U for unclassified. Choi started out the event rated D-2018, but the win upped his rating to C-2018. Here is the official video of the bout. Check out the U.S Fencing Facebook post of his victory being celebrated by team members. He also finished 115th in Cadet Men’s Foil out of 258 competitors. Choi fences for the M-Team in San Francisco. Harker’s student news posted a very nice story on Choi’s win.
Kishan Sood, a rising sophomore, rated D-2018, also fenced in Division III Men’s Foil and had a great finish at 17th out of the 279 fencers. He also fenced in Cadet Men’s Foil, Junior Men’s Foil and Division II Men’s Foil (open to fencers of all ages rated C and lower), finishing 108th in Division II out of 222 entrants, a very nice finish in a tough adult event. Just prior to nationals, Sood fenced in a senior foil event at CalTech in Pasadena, earning seventh out of 29 fencers and upping his rating to the D-2018 level. He also has been named to the USA Fencing All-American Team – Honorable Mention, which requires renewing or improving one’s rating as well as good academic standing and exceptional character. Sood was also named to the USA Fencing All-Academic First Team, which requires a GPA of 3.85 or higher. Sood fences for California Fencing Academy of Campbell.
Alumna Jerrica Liao ’18, A-2015, who heads off to fence at Northwestern in the fall, and Nerine Uyanik, rising junior, B-2017, both fenced in Junior Women’s Foil finishing 92nd and 128th, respectively, out of 226 fencers. In Division 1-A Women’s Foil, Uyanik finished a remarkable 18th while Liao had a tougher time, finishing 49th out of 86 entrants, all rated A or B. In Cadet Women’s Foil (age 17 and under), Uyanik finished 73rd out of 205 entrants. Liao fences for Silicon Valley Fencing Center of Los Altos and Uyanik fences for San Francisco Fencing Club in San Francisco.
Ishani Sood, rising seventh grader, D-2018, finished a notable 19th in Y-12 Women’s Foil out of 161 entrants, took a very respectable 61st in Cadet Women’s Foil out of 205 entrants, and was 41st in Y-14 Womens Foil out of 229 entrants, marking her as an ascending star in women’s foil. Sood, like her brother, fences at California Fencing Academy.
Upper school Fencing Club advisor and Harker Summer middle school fencing coach William Cracraft, B-2018, of Harker’s Office of Communication, finished third in the Charles Selberg Veteran Foil Invitational for men and women ages 50-plus, held in Berkeley on Father’s Day, for the third year in a row, out of 17 deeply seasoned entrants including a number of national point holders. Cracraft fences for Halberstadt Fencing Club of San Francisco.
National results can be found at https://www.usafencing.org/natresults, most other events can be found at askfred.com.