The New York University men's fencing team opened its 2023-24 season on Sunday, November 5, with competition at the Coach Nikki Franke Classic at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.
The Violets began their campaign with some highlight performances, beginning in saber as
Jerry Pan produced a third-place finish.
After a strong showing in pool play, Pan was seeded #7 in direct elimination. After a first-round bye, he produced three victories before being edged 15-12 in the semifinals by Alexander Jeffords of Johns Hopkins University.
"Jerry has been a great addition to the team this season," said Head Coach
Ben Bratton. "He has experience fencing on the world's stage for the Canadian Junior National Team. He really came through in some key matches with tough fencers from UPenn and Boston College."
A trio of NYU fencers finished among the top nine in foil, as
Oliver Hu,
Bryce McClain and
Adam Wong took seventh through ninth, respectively, with
Farr Dickson finishing 11th.
Wong and Hu were seeded sixth and seventh, respectively, after pool play and received byes in the first round of direct elimination. McClain did not receive a bye, but won his first two bouts before meeting Wong in the Round of 16 and defeating his teammate 15-8. Hu also advanced to the Round of 8 after recording two victories, one against Dickson in the Round of 16, but fell to Spencer Burke of Penn State University in the Round of 8. McClain also fell to a Penn State fencer, Tit Nam Change, in the Round of 8.
"I'm pleased to see the growth of the men's foil team," Bratton said. "We have a talented young group that's developing. Finishing with four in the top 11 and two in the top eight is a great start for this squad. Unfortunately, drawing each other in the Round of 16 meant we could only guarantee two medals for the day, but they all fenced like they were capable of qualifying for the Round of 8 and beyond."
A pair of NYU fencers placed among the top 10 in epee, with
Tyler Cho taking eighth place and
Ian Adler placing 10th. Following pool play, Adler was seeded #3 and Cho was #44. While Adler received a bye in the first round of direct elimination, Cho had to win two bouts to reach the Round of 16...which he did. Adler won one bout and then the two Violets met in the Round of 16 with Cho edging his teammate 15-14. Cho was defeated in the Round of 8 by Mathew Dao of Johns Hopkins.
"Tyler made a big jump over the summer and it showed in his performance today," Bratton offered. "This was a good start for him and I expect him to find more consistency throughout the season."
The squad will be back in action on Sunday, December 3, at the Sacred Heart Invitational in Fairfield, CT.
