Men's and Women's Fencing Notes: November 7
11/7/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Fencing
Men: Army 15, AFA 12
Women: AFA 20, Army 7
North American Cup - Denver
No Team Score
Up Next:
Cleveland Dual Meets, Dec. 2, Cleveland State University
Denver hosts North American Cup:
Members of the Air Force fencing team traveled to Denver, Colo., to compete in North American Cup, the second in a series of tournaments. The event took place Nov. 4-6.
Air Force fencer Seth Kelsey finished in first place (epee - 109 fencers). Kelsey, seeded third in the country, had numerous tough bouts en route to victory. He defeated No. 2-seeded John Viviani (Notre Dame) in a very close and exciting bout.
Newcomer Luke Chilen also had a solid outing for the Falcons in the epee division. Chilen advanced to the finals and finished in eighth place overall.
On the women's side, Falcon fencer Elia Burrill, a sophomore from Truckee, Calif., had a disappointing finish, as she was eliminated in the first round in epee.
About the North American Cups:
The North American Cups are a series of nine national competitions held throughout the U.S. every year. High placements earn competitors berths on U.S. teams which compete at World Cadet, Junior and Senior World Championships and the World University Games.
Dual Meet at Army:
The men's team suffered a disappointing loss to Army, losing 15-12. The foil and sabre teams were successful, but the epee team, considered by some to be one of the strongest epee teams in collegiate fencing, was defeated, costing the Falcons a chance to win the meet.
The women's team was highly successfully, losing only seven individual duals, as the Falcons defeated Army 20-7.
Quoting Coach Salem:
"For two fencers to advance to the final is excellent. Chilen has
continued to improve. Finishing in the top of the event after taking
a year off while at the Academy's prep school is fabulous. It will
give him more confidence, as he continues to improve and get better."
"Kelsey is one of the best fencers in the country. His planning and thinking were very strong. He had a solid game plan and that is why he won the event."
"We should not have lost to Army. Particularly our epee team. They performed very poorly."
Individual Results - NAC in Denver
Vern Thompson (Sabre) 30th of 103
Chris Jones (Foil) 75th of 157
Weston Kelsey (Epee) 1st of 109
Luke Chilen (Epee) 8th of 109
Gian-Carlo Rando (Epee) 24th of 109
