Fencing Competes At Brian Palestis Invitational

Staten Island, NY - The Wagner fencing program hosted the Brian Palestis Memorial Invitational at the Spiro Sports Center over the weekend, where both the men's and women's teams finished with a 1-2 record.

The event opened with a closely contested match against St. John's, in which both teams fell just short, losing 14-13.

On the women's side, the epee squad secured a 6-3 victory, with senior Katerina Cervenkova winning all three of her matches, sophomore Natalja Stiller adding two wins, and freshman Maria Fernanda Lopez contributing one. The saber (3-6) and foil (4-5) squads were unable to overcome their opponents, though sophomore Renata Zignanova led the foil team with two wins, while senior Alex Cole and junior Sierra Friday each added one. In saber, junior Fanny Straub won two matches, and freshman Villo Nyiri secured one.

For the men's team, the epee squad earned a narrow 5-4 victory, but both the foil and saber squads suffered 4-5 losses. Freshman Daniel Ojeda Buitrago led the epee team with a perfect 3-0 record, while sophomore Jaime Prim Serradia and Ismael Chavez each added a win. In foil, sophomore Benjamin Tan and freshman Emiliano Renteria both won two matches. In saber, sophomore Charlie Dolan picked up two victories, while sophomores Flavio Vinci and Noah Beitel each won one.

Following the first round, Wagner honored seniors Alex Cole and Katerina Cervenkova for their dedication and achievements.

In the second round, both the men's and women's teams bounced back with a 15-12 victory over Vassar. The women's saber squad dominated with a 6-3 win, as Straub and sophomore Morrigan Adams each swept their opponents. The epee squad also secured a 5-4 victory, led by another 3-0 sweep from Stiller, while junior Sofia Lopez added two wins. Despite a narrow 4-5 loss in foil, Zignanova and Cole both picked up two wins.

The men's team mirrored the success, with the saber squad winning 6-3. Freshman Broghan Bukowski went undefeated in his three bouts, Beitel won two, and Dolan added one victory. The epee squad edged out a 5-4 win, highlighted by Chavez's three victories, while freshman AJ Sako and Ojeda each won one match. The foil squad fell 4-5, with junior Diego Lara and Renteria each securing two wins.

In the third and final round, Wagner faced a tough challenge against Columbia, with both teams falling— the men 6-21 and the women 7-21. The women's epee squad fought hard in a close battle, with Cervenkova winning two matches and Stiller and Lopez each adding one. In foil, Zignanova earned one win, while in saber, Straub and Nyiri each contributed a victory.

For the men, the epee squad emerged victorious 6-3, with freshman Gianni Torres and Chavez both winning two matches, while Serradia and Ojeda each won one. However, the foil and saber squads were overpowered, losing 9-0 to the Lions.

Next, the Seahawks will travel to Brooklyn for the Shark Showdown, hosted by LIU on Sunday, February 23.

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