By Emily Tarinelli ’25
Staff Writer
Four foilists and four épéeists from Mount Holyoke Fencing represented the College at the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference Big One tournament on Saturday, Nov. 7. The competition, which was hosted by Vassar College, featured over 10 teams belonging to various NCAA athletic divisions, including Smith College, Dartmouth College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
In Women’s Foil, Captain Morgan Sammut ’22 won five out of six bouts in the initial pool rounds. Sammut advanced to the direct elimination round with a bye and an additional 15-1 win, securing a 10th place finish overall. Michela Marchini ’22 came in 15th place after winning four of her six pool bouts and two direct elimination bouts. Willow Gumpel-Jones ’24 followed Marchini with a 32nd-place finish, ahead of Maya Frey ’23 in 47th place.
Sammut reflected on how they personally strategized and prepared for the meet.
“Before the competition, our coach [Dianna McMenamin] recommended that when we warm up [or] practice bouts … we use that as an opportunity to see what is working for us that day,” they explained. “For example, am I landing my attacks today? Are my disengages wide today? So I tried to keep that mindset throughout the competition and think about what actions were successful.”
Marchini said that as her main strategy during the tournament, she focused on paying attention to how her opponents moved and how they responded to her actions.
“I tried to watch as many of the people I was fencing before we got on strip so that I could have a sense of their strategy and the best way to go against them,” she said.
Marchini said she was pleased to come in 15th place, the highest she had ever finished. She was also proud of her second direct elimination bout, which she won 15-11 within the first period. Unlike pool bouts, which are fenced to five touches in the span of three minutes, direct elimination bouts are fenced to 15 touches over the course of three three-minute periods, separated by a minute of rest in between each one.
“I’m pretty sure that is the most intense bout I have ever fenced, so the fact that I was able to finish it and win was really exciting for me,” Marchini said.
In Women’s Épée, Captain Eva Volckova ’22 grabbed 27th place, winning a direct elimination bout with a score of 15-6. Volckova was followed by Anneke Craig ’22 in 38th, Emma Pope McCright ’23 in 40th and Co-Captain Flannery Plum ’24 in 44th.
Craig said she was proud of the several individual touches that she scored on her opponents, which she described as being “better-executed and more intentional than [her] touches a year ago.”
“I think all of us went in with the goal to share a positive experience and get back into competing after more than a year apart,” Craig said. “In terms of strategy, we all took care to check in with each other and cheer each other on.”
Reflecting on her experience, she added, “One of the things I really love about fencing is that, especially at individual competitions like Big One, even though you may be fencing other people, you’re really only competing against yourself.”
Craig also expressed her excitement for the team’s next tournament, the Little One, which will be hosted by Mount Holyoke Fencing. The tournament is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022.
“It is a smaller event, so the atmosphere is a little more relaxed. Everyone is there to have a good time and enjoy the sport,” Craig said.
Sammut described their motivation to succeed this year.
“Since this is my last season and we missed a whole year of competing, I really want to push myself this year … I want to fence at my best for both myself and for my team that helped me get to where I am,” they said. “We’re a club sports team at a Division III school, so I don’t think anyone expects very much from us and I want to make them all regret that.”