Printer Friendly Version - Fencing Wins First Conference Title

Pictured is the North Haven fencing team after both the men’s and women’s squads had strong performances at the CCFC Conference Championships. North Haven earned its first ever CCFC title, and placed all three women's squads in the semifinals for the first time in team history. Photo courtesy of Jim Harris

On Feb. 20, the North Haven fencing team played host to Fairfield Warde. The girls managed a hard-fought 15-12 win, anchored by women's sabre, who went 7-0 and were led by junior Nina Novicki (3-0 on the day). Women’s epee and women’s foil each fell 4-5 in close matches, with women's epee battling back after being down 3-0 after the first round. The men's team lost 6-21, with men's epee falling just short in losing 4-5.

On Feb. 24, the Nighthawks competed in the Central Connecticut Conference Championships. It was a historic day for the team, as North Haven earned its first ever CCFC title, and placed all three women's squads in the semifinals for the first time in team history. The men’s foil squad earned the first ever CCFC championship for North Haven since joining the league at the start of the 2021-22 season. The team of Grant Grotzke, Ben Pollio, Gavin Brawn, and Haram Lee, defeated No. 6 seed Cheshire (5-1), No. 2 seed Morgan (5-3) and regular season No. 1 seed Guilford (5-4) to claim the men's foil title. The team defeated Morgan in a hard fought semifinals match, with Grotzke winning the decisive bout 5-4 to secure a place in the finals. Pollio and Brawn went 2-and-1 against Guilford in the finals, with Brawn securing the final victory in the last bout for a 5-4 win over the defending state and conference champions.

The women's foil squad started by defeating No. 4 seed Cheshire in the quarterfinals, with senior Rachel Adams going 3-0 to pace the squad. This included an impressive victory over First Team All-Conference athlete Elisa Pannone of Cheshire. In the semifinals, the squad faced off against defending state champion (and eventual conference champion) Guilford, falling 5-1. It was a great day of fencing for the girls, who fenced incredibly well all day.

The men's epee squad faced off against No. 3 seed and eventual conference champion Guilford and fought extremely hard before falling 5-0, with three of those bouts being decided by a total of three touches.

The women’s epee team fended off Cheshire in the first round, with Fiona Gao winning two bouts to pace the squas. In the semifinals, the girls went up against No. 2 Morgan and lost 5-3.

The men’s sabre squad took on No. 3 seed Morgan in the quarterfinals and fell 5-1. Jeff Stalker earned his first conference championship win for the squad in the loss.

The women's sabre team earned a bye in the first round due to their regular season record, before taking on No. 4 seed (and eventual conference champion) Morgan. The girls lost 5-4, despite fantastic performances from Nina Novicki and Angela Lin. Lin went 2-1 in the semifinals to pace the squad.

North Haven had four fencers earn First Team All-Conference awards in Anita Sajan, Ayla Sivri, Brawn, and Pollio. Sajan, Sivri, and Pollio also earned All-Academic awards.

Gao, Anna Hansard, Lin, and Matt Kompare all earned Second Team All-Conference honors.