USA Fencing

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Hadley Husisian (Fencers Club Inc. & Elite Fencing Academy) is your Division I Women’s Epee national champion.

Husisian’s win on Friday, Day 2 of the April North American Cup, Division I National Championships and Parafencing National Championships, matches her result from 2023 in St. Louis. She has now won three of the past four national titles in the event.

While the defending champion is always a favorite in the following year’s tournament, Husisian tried not to think about the odds.

“It’s very much one touch at a time, one bout at a time,” she says. “That's always the way I try to approach things. And I guess it worked out for the day. [Repeating] was, of course, the goal — but I wasn’t going to let myself think that way.”

In Division I Men’s Foil, Samarth Kumbla (New York Athletic Club & Silicon Valley Fencing Center) grabbed his first career national championship — capping off a ridiculously successful month of April. Kumbla is freshly back from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he won an individual bronze and team gold medal at the 2024 Junior & Cadet Fencing World Championships.

“It’s just been years of hard work,” Kumbla says of his string of success. “Practicing every day, staying motivated, staying consistent and dedication toward the sport.”

But even as success improves his notoriety in the sport and his ranking, Kumbla knows not to be complacent.

“I know everyone's a threat,” he says. “And no bout is easy. Overconfidence is just not going to help you.”

Garrett Schoonover (Salt City Swords Fencing Club) was not overconfident entering the Parafencing Men’s Epee competition — and for a good reason. He hadn’t fenced epee in six months.

“I came in today just like, it’s going to be what it’s going to be,” he says. “But I’m here to have fun.”

Schoonover considers foil to be his better weapon, which adds to the challenge as he competes in that weapon on Saturday — just over 12 hours after picking up his epee gold medal.

To help his mind and body switch from one weapon to another, Schoonover switched from using the pistol grip for both weapons to only using pistol in foil.

“I learned long ago that physical cues really help,” he says. “It’s given me that physical separation from the foil. When I pick up my epee with the French grip, I know I’m fencing epee.”

In Parafencing Women’s Epee, Jataya Taylor (Denver Fencing Center & Invictus Fencing) became a repeat national champion. She says she’s grown a lot in the year since her last national title in epee (and foil).

“It’s been amazing because everyone says this is active chess, but I never got that,” she says. “But I’m now focusing on actually thinking through what I’m doing instead of just reacting. And that has changed my game.”

And in Division I Women’s Saber, Maia Chamberlain (Manhattan Fencing Center) had to overcome a different type of challenge: fencing a friend. In the final, she faced Princeton teammate and friend Chloe Fox-Gitomer.

“I just have to focus on my fencing and what actions I want to do and be ruthless,” Chamberlain says. “But the second the bout’s over, like, we're gonna grab dinner later. Everything is all good after that.”

In the Division I Men’s Saber team event, the Peter Westbrook Foundation has been dominant, but last year the team from the New York Athletic Club emerged with the victory instead.

This year’s quartet of Daryl Homer OLY, Nazir Primus, Noah Te Velde and Khalil Thompson OLY were back to try to reclaim the prize. They did just that — securing the 15th team national championship in Men’s Saber for PWF (and 24th across all weapons). The first came in 1997.

Primus, who is 16, is one of the newest PWF fencers to join that impressive legacy.

“It feels pretty great to join and be a part of it for a long time,” he says. “My advice is just to listen to the people who are by your side, because all these guys helped me in practice and I listen to what they say and I take information from what they say — and it’s helped me a lot.”

Division I Women’s Epee

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Hadley Husisian (Fencers Club Inc. & Elite Fencing Academy)

Silver: Michaela Joyce (University Of Notre Dame & Elite Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Sumin Lee (Battle Born Fencing Club)

Bronze: Margherita Guzzi Vincenti (Ataba Fencing Club)

5th: Leehi Machulsky (Academy Of Fencing Masters)

6th: Kat Holmes OLY (New York Athletic Club & DC Fencers Club)

7th: Felicity Sebastian (Alliance Fencing Academy)

8th: Isabella Chin (New York Fencing Academy)

Division I Women’s Saber

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Maia Chamberlain (Manhattan Fencing Center)

Silver: Chloe Fox-Gitomer (Oregon Fencing Alliance & Princeton University)

Bronze: Alexia Anthony (Peter Westbrook Foundation & Fencers Club Inc.)

Bronze: Maggie Shealy (Boston Fencing Club & Brandeis University)

5th: Alexandra Lee (Princeton University & Premier Fencing Academy)

6th: Chelsea Delsoin (University Of Notre Dame & Advance Fencing And Fitness Academy)

7th: Lola Possick (Advance Fencing And Fitness Academy)

8th: Elizabeth Tartakovsky (Manhattan Fencing Center)

Division I Men’s Foil

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Samarth Kumbla (New York Athletic Club & Silicon Valley Fencing Center)

Silver: Marcello Olivares (New York Athletic Club & V Fencing Club)

Bronze: James Bourtis (New York Athletic Club & Rochester Fencing Club)

Bronze: Justice Cullivan (Columbus Fencing And Fitness LLC)

5th: Chase Emmer (Massialas Foundation & University Of Notre Dame)

6th: Roy Graham (Jovanovic Fencing & Cambridge Fencing Center)

7th: Allen Chen (Bluegrass Fencers' Club)

8th: Elijah Onik (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy)

Division I Men’s Saber Team

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Peter Westbrook Foundation (Daryl Homer OLY, Nazir Primus, Noah Te Velde, Khalil Thompson OLY)

Silver: NYAC Red (Quin Burgunder, Mitchell Saron, Jared Smith, Grant Williams)

Bronze: You Smell Dat? (Silas Choi, Tony Escueta, Christopher Guffey, Bernard Witek)

Parafencing Women’s Epee

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Jataya Taylor (Denver Fencing Center & Invictus Fencing)

Silver: Jillian Kosanovich (Denver Fencing Center)

Bronze: Shelby Mitchell (Valkyrie Fencing Club)

Bronze: Julie Grant (Salle Auriol Seattle)

5th: Mama T Dykes (Orion Fencing & Zeljkovic Fencing Academy)

Parafencing Men’s Epee

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Garrett Schoonover (Salt City Swords Fencing Club)

Silver: Nicholas Badeaux (Fencing Institute Of Texas & Invictus Fencing)

Bronze: Gregory Tyler (Orion Fencing & Orange County International Fencers Club)

Bronze: Abe Kaplan (Greensboro Fencing Academy & Invictus Fencing)

5th: Scott Rodgers (Denver Fencing Center)

6th: Tim Kortenkamp (San Francisco Fencing Academy)

7th: Mason Hall (Salt City Swords Fencing Club)

8th: James Downing (Denver Fencing Center)

Vet Combined Women’s Saber

Gold: Giselle Martinez Elizalde

Silver: Elisabet Chiarelli (Manhattan Fencing Center)

Bronze: Clare Deming (Lilov Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Emily Grajales (Stoccata Fencing Academy & Club)

5th: Kate Sierra (Atlantic Fencing Academy)

6th: Linda Dunn (IndySabre & Indianapolis Fencing Club)

7th: Shannon Dudnick (Fencing Academy Of Denver)

8th: Jenny Yang (Nellya Fencers)

Vet Combined Men’s Epee

Gold: Adam Maczik (Marx Fencing Academy)

Silver: Thomas Cheng (Stoccata Fencing Academy & Club & Orlando Fencing Sports Center)

Bronze: David Hitchcock (Cardinal Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Jeffrey Snider (DC Fencers Club)

5th: Aaron Gaines (No Fear Fencing & San Diego Fencing Center)

6th: Joseph Deucher (DC Fencers Club)

7th: Sergey Suponya (Medeo Fencing Club)

8th: Solomon Liou (Medeo Fencing Club & New Jersey Fencing Alliance)

Vet 40 Women’s Foil

Gold: Inga Cho (Renaissance Fencing Club)

Silver: Christina Kaneshige (Denver Fencing Center)

Bronze: Morgane Bhatt (Halberstadt Fencers' Club)

Bronze: Polina McGrath (Plymouth/Ann Arbor Fencing Academy)

5th: Velyn Wu (Invictus Fencing & University Of Florida Fencing Club)

6th: Rachel Fedde (Brooklyn Fencing Center)

7th: Lacey Maddox (Charlotte Fencing Academy)

8th: Desaree Gardner (Boise Fencing Club)

Vet 50 Women’s Foil

Gold: Rose Finter

Silver: Julie Seal (Valkyrie Fencing Club)

Bronze: Carolyn Granholm

Bronze: Ann Totemeier (Northern Colorado Fencers & Denver Fencing Center)

5th: Lesley Chapman (Ludus Fencing Studio)

6th: Bonnie Hennig-Trestman (Research Triangle Fencing)

7th: Doina Bogdan

8th: Diane Ferguson (Olde Town Fencing Club)

Vet 60 Women’s Foil

Gold: Georgina Love

Silver: Allison Treloar (Salle De Long Fencers & NMFC/Duke City Fencing)

Bronze: Kathleen Hermes

Bronze: Nora Gutkovskaya (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy)

5th: Badger Merritt

6th: Viveka Fox (Vermont Fencing Alliance)

7th: Kari Sobisky (Spokane Fencers Unlimited)

8th: Wilma Jackson (Forge Fencing Teams & Apex Fencing Academy)

Vet 70 Women’s Foil

Gold: Anne-Marie Walters (Masters Fencing Club)

Silver: Lynnette Whitt

Bronze: Jude Offerle (RedStar Fencing Club Chicago & University Of Notre Dame)

Bronze: Rachel El-Saleh (Space City Fencing Academy)

5th: Madelon Rosenfeld (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club & Fencers Club Inc.)

6th: Joanne Stevens (Fencers Club Inc.)

7th: Gemin Channing

8th: Patricia Lutton (Denver Fencing Center)

Vet 80 Women’s Foil

Gold: Patricia Bedrosian (Salle Couturier)

Silver: Bettie Graham (Chevy Chase Fencing Club)

Bronze: Mary Turzillo

Vet 40 Men’s Saber

Gold: Pietro Ferraro (Capital Fencing Academy)

Silver: Ching-Yang Lin

Bronze: Richard Sutherland Jr. (Miracle Fencing Club & New Orleans Fencers Club)

Bronze: Benjamin Dirsmith (Salle Auriol Seattle & Washington Fencing Academy)

5th: James Zirkle (RedStar Fencing Club Chicago)

6th: Julio Robles (Capital Fencing Academy)

7th: Paul Moody (Salle Auriol Seattle)

8th: Albert Wang (Fencing Academy Of Denver)

Vet 50 Men’s Saber

Gold: Ronald Thornton (Capital Fencing Academy)

Silver: Kim Phillips (Oregon)

Bronze: William Becker (Gateway Florida)

Bronze: Antonio Escueta (Globus Fencing Academy)

5th: Matthew Zoller (Fencing Academy Of Denver)

6th: Sergey Makogon (Salt City Swords Fencing Club)

7th: Michael Caisse (Hangtown Saber Club)

8th: Joshua Bush (Lincoln Fencing Club)

Vet 60 Men’s Saber

Gold: Chris Matt (Capital Fencing Academy)

Silver: Mark Lundborg (Washington Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Tamas Vidovszky (Premier Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Dmitri Kopylov (Lilov Fencing Academy)

5th: Jacaeber Kastor (Manhattan Fencing Center)

6th: Joshua Runyan (Spartak)

7th: Will Milne (Northern California)

8th: Gene Zinni (Fencing Academy Of Denver & Denver Fencing Center)

Vet 70 Men’s Saber

Gold: Garik Gutman (Capital Fencing Academy)

Silver: Donald Malnati (Nazlymov Fencing Foundation)

Bronze: Michael Szathmary (Middle Tennessee Fencing Club)

Bronze: David Seuss (Fencing Academy Of Boston)

5th: Wang Yung (Infinity Fencing Alliance & Hillside Cavaliers Fencing Club)

6th: Keith Baker (Nazlymov Fencing Foundation)

7th: Joseph Streb (Columbus International Fencing Academy & Royal Arts Fencing Academy)

8th: Philip (Doc) Kath (South Carolina)

Vet 80 Men’s Saber

Gold: Lucas Dobrzanski (Kern Athletic Fencing Foundation & Gryphon Fencing)

Silver: Vic Bianchini (Spartak)

Bronze: Donald Anderson (New Mexico Fencing Foundation)

Junior Women’s Foil

Gold: Katerina Lung (Moe Fencing Club)

Silver: Emily Jing (Star Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Gabrielle Grace Gebala (Silicon Valley Fencing Center)

Bronze: Jia Chen (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy)

5th: Jaelyn Liu (Star Fencing Academy & Fencing Institute Of Texas)

6th: Kaitlyn Tan (Star Fencing Academy)

7th: Nadia Hayes (Canada)

8th: Rachel Kim (Silicon Valley Fencing Center)

Find hundreds of great photos here.