Long Island's best boys and girls fencing teams in sabre, foil and epee

With the fencing regular season just about at its end, it’s time to recognize some of the best teams by weapon across both Nassau and Suffolk. With playoffs and individual championships looming, here are the teams that have starred on the strip this winter.

Sabre

Nassau boys: Syosset — Sohan Shah, Brandon Lim, Gavin Berkowitz

Nassau girls: Syosset — Esha Nayak, Alexa Lim, Winona Zheng

Syosset remains home to the best sabreists on Long Island, with Shah, Brandon Lim and Berkowitz combining for a ridiculous 53-1 record. That’s not to mention Lucas Zheng, who adds 12 more sabre wins.

That’s just as true on the girls side of the strip, headlined by the reigning Brentwood Holiday Tournament champion in Nayak. The trio boast a combined 69-4 record.

“For the boys and girls, they’re super hungry and super focused,” coach Deniz Berkay said. “Everyone wants the best for each other.”

Suffolk boys: Ward Melville — William Dreyer, Gavin Raniolo, Fletcher Fortner

Suffolk girls: Huntington/Harborfields — Julia Goodwin, Chelsea Drummings, Marilynn Mendoza

Lindenhurst and Half Hollow Hills all boast strong lineups, headlined by 20-win Ryan Erdman and 23-win Gavin Cho, respectively.

But Ward Melville takes the crown with its sabreists, a group led by defending Suffolk sabre champion Dreyer and helped by strong senior leadership thanks to fencers such as foilist Yannik Reyes.

“They’re the ones shaping the next generation of fencers,” coach Jo Anne Siskidis said. “They’re the ones working with their teammates, making sure they’re on top of their form, footwork, hands, parries and ability to make reads and make changes.”

Huntington/Harborfields girls fencing touts an impressive duo of Goodwin and Drummings, both holding over a 90% winning percentage. Mendoza and McCloskey round out a 55-44 sabre team.

“It’s nice to see [Goodwin] step up every year,” coach Michelle O’Brien said. “Last year she became team captain. Most of the girls have grown up as a team and have grown into themselves. That’s all we want as coaches.”

Lindenhurst, Ward Melville and Commack sabre teams, led by 20-plus-win fencers in Shelly Banegas, Allie Harrison and Ash Conti, respectively, deserve plenty of credit.

Foil

Nassau boys: Wheatley/Roslyn — Charles Lee, Tommy Lee, Joshua Oh

Nassau girls: Great Neck South — Annabelle Qi, Annabella Kang, Emma Kandalaft

Wheatley/Roslyn coach Kenji Horiuchi said this year’s team is one of the best he’s had in terms of ego and leadership.

That’s doubly true of senior Charles Lee, who sits undefeated alongside younger brother Tommy Lee and Oh. They have combined to go 52-5. Foilist Elvin Lai has also won 12 of his 17 bouts.

“They’re people who want to be on a team, who want to help make the less experienced people better,” Horiuchi said. “They want to empower other kids when they’re not competing. It's nothing from me. That’s from them and their parents.”

Great Neck South is led by senior captain Qi and first-year starters in sophomore Kang and freshman Kandalaft. The trio have combined for a sterling 59-6 record.

“We came in with the loss of a lot of seniors from last year, so morale was very low,” coach Catie Sagevick said. “My three captains [Justina Hom, Ashley Nguyen and Qi] stepped in and said, ‘This is not a building year, coach, this is a win year.’ They went in and are working for the wins at every opportunity.”

A close runner-up is Jericho’s foilists, consisting of undefeated Kaitlyn Chan, Ilana Cai, Ashka Shah and Lily Liang.

Suffolk boys: Newfield/Miller Place — Marc Lindemann, Conrad Lindemann, Xjung Todd

Suffolk girls: Ward Melville — Victoria Lachko, Kayla LaMedica, Skylar Stuart

Another sibling duo reigns in Suffolk as senior Marc and freshman Conrad Lindemann have combined for an astonishing 69-3 record, with Todd adding 12 wins on top of a versatile lineup.

“It really helps having that freedom, because I can experiment a lot with giving Conrad more experience as the anchor,” coach Dom DiBartolo said. “Marc has had so much experience in that position, and I know he’ll be solid at the two spot.”

Defending county champion Ward Melville feature arguably the deepest lineup of girls foilists, with Lachko, LaMedica and Stuart combining for a 62-10 record. All three have over 20 wins.

“I’ve seen immense growth, from where they started to where they are now,” coach Ginny Siskidis said. “The fact that their squad is coming out as one of the more top-heavy squads in itself speaks volumes.”

Honorable mentions go to Sayville/Bayport-Blue Point/Connetquot boys fencing, led by Collin Smith and Kevin Mulligan, and Newfield/Miller Place girls fencing with star Sophie Chen.

Epee

Nassau boys: Great Neck South — Max Tse, Amir Karimov, Matthew Wu

Nassau girls: Jericho — Alice Fu, Chloe Hu, Sara Yu

Karimov and Tse met at the final of the Brentwood Holiday Tournament in December. Imagine having those two as teammates rather than opponents.

Now add up-and-coming third and fourth options in eighth-grader Wu and seventh-grader Zheng. All four combine for a 75-9 record.

“It’s nice having that anchor knowing we just have to get through the other weapons and then we’re all set,” coach Josh Baravarian said.

Yet again, Jericho’s girls epeeists have been fantastic as Fu and Hu have combined for a 31-10 record alone, not to mention fourth option Kate Kim’s 8-3 record.

“A lot of girls stepped in to replace girls who graduated,” coach Seth Skolnick said. “To constantly have a team where you’re not just good for one year, but for years and years to come, it just speaks to the kids more than anything else.”

Suffolk boys: Half Hollow Hills — Jerry Lin, Jerry Wu, Daniel Lin

Suffolk girls: Commack — Anna Petrizzo, Juliet Jackson, Mia Franey

When standout Jerry Wu missed time due to injury, Yang stepped in and filled in admirably. Alongside Jerry Lin and Daniel Lin, the foursome are 81-21 with what coach Steven Ferrantello described as an “all-in mentality.”

“They’ve been putting in the work, getting on the strip as much as they can,” Ferrantello said. “Just watching them all work together to make each other better is what really helps them separate themselves.”

Commack’s Petrizzo headlines a Cougars epee lineup that has combined to go 45-28. Coach Jacklyn Sadiker called them “the basis and foundation of our team this year.”

“The epees are not only dependable on the strip, but it's more so their behavior off the strip that sets them apart as an elite group,” Sadiker said. “They set the tone for the meet, and they’re so into fencing and helping others.”