The New York University men's fencing team began its 2025-26 campaign at the Nikki Franke Classic hosted by Temple University on Sunday, October 26.

The Violets had a strong start to their season as three fencers finished in the top 16 in their respective weapons.

Freshman Szymon Wojciechowski was the top finisher for the Violets, taking seventh place in epee out of 84 fencers. He took down Ian Alvarez from Haverford 15-9 in the round of 16 before falling to eventual champion, Paul Veltrup, from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in a 15-13 battle in the quarterfinals. 

Also competing in epee for the Violets was William Lehr, who tied for 11th place. Lehr outlasted Jackson Richards from Haverford 15-14, before losing a bout to Fabio Mastromarino from NJIT, 15-4.

Farr Dickson looked sharp in foil, taking 11th place out of 79 fencers after a 7-1 showing in pool play. He triumphed over Julian Detering of NJIT 15-11, and then lost 15-6 to Alex Wu from the University of Pennsylvania in the round of 16. 

Other strong performances for NYU were from Thomas Murphy who took 18th in epee, and Jeffrey Zhai who rode the momentum from an 8-0 start in pool play to a 17th-place finish in foil. 

"I thought the group competed with poise and maturity from start to finish. It's still early in the season, but the energy, accountability, and composure we're showing are all encouraging signs," said Head Coach Ben Bratton. "For Szymon to break into the top 8 in his first collegiate event speaks volumes about his technical level and competitiveness. He's already elevating those around him in training and today was just the first glimpse of what he's capable of contributing this season."

Matthew Zhou was the top NYU finisher in saber, placing 30th out of 77.

The Violets return to competition when they head to Long Island University (LIU) to face LIU, St.John's, and Yale on Sunday, November 23.