At the beginning of the season, the Johns Hopkins Men's Fencing team's schedule was already expected to be tough, but things only got harder for the Blue Jays. As a result of a rescheduled Valentine's Day match, the Johns Hopkins men's fencing team no longer had two multi-matches over two weeks, they had two multi-matches over two days, first traveling to Lafayette on Saturday and then going on to Hoboken, NJ, on Sunday where they faced five different teams.
The Jays completed a successful trip with seven straight wins. Hopkins went two for two on Saturday, with the Blue Jays routing Cornell and Lafayette each by 22-5, and five for five on Sunday, beating Hunter, Sacred Heart, Army, New Jersey Tech and Stevens Tech.
According to Head Coach Austin Young, the team is "peaking at the right time of the season."
"With the way our team is fencing right now, I feel good about our chances of winning the MACFA Championships next weekend," he said.
Sophomore Jason Park led the Blue Jays in the sabre weapons division and proved flawless on the mat as he fenced 20 bouts and lost none. Equally dominant in the sabre were teammates junior Fred Lee and freshman Nick Gonzales, who fought hard en route to a combined 13 wins. In the foil weapons divisions, the Hopkins fencers proved to equally dominant. Junior Bryan Bishe led the charge, as he proved his mastery with the foil as he triumphed over all but one of his opponents, recording 19 wins and one loss over the weekend. Freshman Nick Marchuk also compiled an 18-2 individual record over the weekend. Senior Mark Riso was equally powerful with the foil, as he racked up 16 wins for the Blue Jays over both days.
The epee squad proved to be equally dominant. Senior Matt Bouloubasis went 17-3 for Hopkins. His fellow squad members also excelled in their bouts over the weekend, as junior John Majewski went 16-4 record.
Hopkins hopes to continue its winning steak on Sunday, Feb. 29, when it travels to the MACFA championships in Hoboken.
