By ADMIR DURAKOVIC
Staff Writer
(HACKENSACK) – The FDU Women’s Fencing team hosted the FDU Invitational on Sunday, Feb. 24. The Knights host an invitational each season in the last weeks two weeks of February.
FDU hosted 12 teams, including Hunter College, Wagner, The City College of New York, Drew University, Brandeis University, Tufts University, Johns Hopkins, NJIT, Johns Hopkins, Stevens University, Queens College, and LIU Post.
The Knights combined for two wins in their second and third round against Tufts University (14-13) and The City College of New York (19-6). The Knights tied with Queens College (13- 13) and lost their remaining matchups to Brandeis University (15-10), Stevens University (20-7), and Johns Hopkins (23-4).
But many Knights contributed stellar performances.
Of the seven team members, Isabella Garcia (captain), Gabriel Watson, Amanda Cilley, and Shea Sanders each finished with an individual record of 11-7. Of the three different fencing competitions (foil, epee, and saber), Garcia participated in the saber events, Watson played her matches in the epee event, and Cilley and Sanders competed in the foil competition.
Garcia felt like this invitational was a big step in her progression as a player. “I feel I did really well,” Garcia said. “As pertaining to the season, my winning average was about half, so I feel as compared to when I first started, I have improved dramatically. This meet is where I’ve fenced the best this entire season.”
Captain Natalia Toby was the star of the show. Toby competed in the epee competition, finishing with a record of 17-1. She was electric on the mat, lunging to strike her opponents on the head or ducking to the ground to strike their shoes.
The Knights take great pride in being able to compete in the Rothman Center in front of their home crowd.
“I think for us, because we have our friends and families, and the FDU students come [to watch], we’re more hyped,” Toby said. “We get lit. It’s just more exciting because you feel like, we want to put on a show for you guys.”
