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03/14/2023 08:43 AMThe Morgan Huskies fencing team had what many people would call a successful end to their season. They had many fencers step up in big spots at the state tournament level, ensuring individual and team titles for the squad.
Head Coach Jim Barnett and the Huskies had a variety of experienced and novice fencers on the strip this season, but the leaders really stepped up to help ensure the team’s success.
The four senior captains this season for Morgan were Noah Borkowski (saber), Shannon O’Brien (saber), Oliver Baker (epeè), and Muntara Singh (epeè). With the combined experience of the four of them, they encouraged their teammates to always give their best effort in practice and in competition.
“They have done a great job, inspiring their teammates to do hard work at practice and in matches. They have been there to give them advice and raise their level of competition and fencing,” said Barnett. “They have also been there to support their teammates when they are down. They have worked really well with the coaches and our plan for the season.”
The Huskies competed in the Central Connecticut Fencing Conference tournament (CCFC) on Feb. 25. The men’s epeè team won the conference title, the men’s foil squad was the runners up, and the men’s saber team placed third. The women’s epeè, foil, and saber all placed third as a group.
Several fencers earned their place on the First Team All-Conference after their performances. Those fencers included Nicholas Bausch (senior, epeè), Addison Auletta (senior, saber), Baker, and Samantha Way (junior, saber)
The Huskies also had fencers place on the Second Team All-Conference, including Ryder Watson (junior, foil), Noah Borkowski (senior, saber), Singh, Sara Morrisey (junior, foil), and Gavin Gersz (junior, epeè).
Fencers on the All-Academic All-Conference team were Way, Bausch, Auletta, and Baker.
After finding success at the conference level, the Huskies then showed off their skills at the State Individual Tournament on March 4. The Huskies finished with two First Team All-State fencers and five Second Team All-State fencers. Way and Bausch were named First Team, and Ben Auletta (senior, sabre), Baker, Borkowski, Henry Tessman (sophomore, foil), and Alessa Strunjio (junior, epeè) were members of the Second Team.
“We thought we were going to do well. The team has been working hard all season and getting better and better, peaking at the right time,” said Barnett. “We had more All-State fencers than any other team in the state, which is a first for us. We are really happy about that, and we got some great performances out of the people we expected that from. Even the fencers that did not make All-State performed better than they expected, they just had to believe in themselves.”
The Huskies qualified five of their six squads for the State Team Championships, including men’s epeè, foil and saber, as well as women’s epeè and saber.
The Team State Tournament can often be tough to navigate because teams never know what to expect from the competition, but Morgan took this in stride and came in determined to make noise, and Barnett had high expectations for his squad.
“Women’s epeè has a good chance to do better than they are seeding, which is at seven. We had a great performance coming off of the Individuals Tournament. I think that they are focused and ready,” said Barnett. “We are really looking forward to seeing what they can do if they stay focused and ready. For the men’s teams they are also in contention for the state all-around title.”
Showing that focus and determination on the strip is exactly what the Huskies did, as they came together to produce very strong performances at the competition on March 11.
The men’s epeè team claimed the state championship title, competing in the quarterfinals against Norwich Free Academy (5-2), the semifinals against the Guilford Grizzlies (5-2), and the finals against Hopkins (5-2).
The men’s sabre team placed third overall, with their path being a quarterfinal win against Fairfield (5-2), and a loss in the semifinals against Hopkins (5-2). They competed in the third and fourth place match, where they claimed their victory against Daniel Hand (5-4).
The Huskies had a tremendous season, with fencers stepping up in key moments throughout the campaign to secure better seeding at the state level. However, that doesn’t mean they didn’t face challenges along the way to reach their goals. The obstacles tested the strength and depth of the Morgan roster, giving new people the chance to step up.
“We have had a couple of injuries that we have not had in the past. Some of our top fencers have had knee problems or back problems. What has happened is that the fencers waiting the wings have stepped in and done a good job filling in for them, so that our varsity fencers can heal and get ready for the end of the season,” said Barnett. “Everybody that has been waiting to get that varsity bout has been training hard and has been ready when they have been given the opportunity.”
As the season comes to a close, among all of the victories and accomplishments from this campaign, Barnett hopes to carry this year’s program success into next season, with a roster that will look very different come next winter.
“We are graduating 15 fencers this season. As coaches we are looking forward to all the new faces that will be joining the team next year and help take the team to the next level,” said Barnett. “I am also excited to see how our returning fencers will do in their new roles as starting varsity fencers. We have junior varsity (JV) fencers that showed us that they are ready to work hard and help us continue with our winning ways.”
This was Barnett’s 13th season with the program, and he is assisted by Chris Balestracci and Alex Rauccio.
The Huskies roster is comprised of Nicholas Abott (senior, foil), Thomas Martin (senior, foil), Kristen Amendola (senior, foil), Gianna Strunjo (senior, foil), Magdalena Lagos (senior, foil), Baker, Brayden Esler (senior, epeè), Bausch, Cory Riojas (senior, epeè), Muntara, Melissa Mscheurer (senior, epeè), Addison Auletta, Ben Auletta, Borkowski, Shannon O’Brien, Watson, Morrissey, Gersz, Strunjo, Kayleigh West (junior, epeè), Terry Pollard (junior, sabre), Way, Tessman, Meredith O’Brien (sophomore, foil), Patrick O’Donnell (sophomore, epeè), Joey O’Brien (sophomore, epeè), Francesca Limauro (sophomore, epeè), Nicole Zhou (sophomore, epeè), Demani Howard (sophomore, sabre), Aden Gadun (sophomore, sabre), Riley Brauchler (sophomore, sabre), Austin Borkowski (freshman, foil), Ava Nettleton (freshman, foil), Charlotte Racho (freshman, foil), Anthony Strunjio (freshman, epeè), Eli Barden (freshman, sabre), and Lena Flaherty (freshman, sabre).