Dec. 12, 2011
QUEENS, N.Y. - The Red Storm represented well at the December North American Cup in Kansas City, Mo., which began on Friday, Dec. 9 and ended on Monday, Dec. 12. Of the 11 current or former St. John's fencers at the event, five made top-10 finishes.
Redshirt junior Daryl Homer, who is sitting out the year to train for the 2012 Summer Olympics, defeated two Olympic silver medalists en route to winning the gold medal in men's saber. Homer, the No. 7 seed, defeated his 2011 Senior Worlds teammate, No. 3 Tim Morehouse, by a score of 15-13 in the semifinals before taking down No. 8 James Williams, 15-7, in the finals. The two-time NCAA champion has now collected 10 medals in national and international competition. He is currently ranked second in the U.S. and 13th in the World.
Entering the table of 55 as the no. 21 seed, sophomore Anna Limbach, a two-time German Senior World team member, fought her way to the women's saber semi-finals after upsetting the No. 12 and No. 5 seeds. However, she was defeated, 15-11, by No. 9 Daria Schneider, a U.S. national team member. Limbach's performance earned her a bronze medal, which now accompanies the three medals she's already earned in international competitions.
The third-highest St. John's finish belonged to junior Sean Buckley, who placed seventh in men's saber. Buckley, who was the No. 13 seed, could have potentially met teammate Daryl Homer on the strip in the semi-finals, but the two-time All-American was eliminated from competition by a score of 15-8 in the quarterfinals.
Freshman Isis Washington made her third top-10 finish on the national circuit this year after knocking off the No. 3 seed in the table of 32. Washington, the No. 30 seed, was victorious in one more match before losing her next two. She finished in 10th place. Washington has not finished lower than 14th in any four of her 2011 NAC appearances.
Also competing in Kansas City was alumnus Benjamin Bratton. A three-time All-American while at St. John's, Bratton is seeking a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic squad. Competing in a massive field of 188 fencers, he went a perfect 6-0 in pool play to earn the No. 6 seed. After defeating four straight opponents to reach the table of 16, Bratton was unable to pull an upset of the No. 3 seed and finished in ninth place.
Sophomore Eli Schenkel, who won bronze in November's NAC, narrowly missed a top-16 placement in men's foil after being eliminated in the table of 32, 15-12. Schenkel finished in 18th place. Fellow sophomore foilists Max Blitzer and Wilfred Curioso placed 42nd and 72nd respectively.
In men's epee, senior Nicholas Vomero placed 36th and junior Adam Watson, finished in 38th place.
Sophomore Alexandra Tannous placed 66th in women's saber.
The next time St. John's hits the strip, it will be for the January NAC in Portland, Ore. The event will take place from Jan. 13-16. To stay current on the Red Storm fencing program, follow the team on Twitter: (@STJ_Fencing)
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