DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's fencing squad finished the first day of competition at the Central Collegiate Fencing Conference (CCFC) Championships on Saturday. The event is being hosted by WSU inside of the Matthaei Center.
The Warriors competed in four bouts, prevailing against the University of Detroit Mercy (23-4), Lawrence University (14-13), and Cleveland State University (17-10) while being downed by The Ohio State University (23-4).
As a squad, WSU finished second overall, with the epee team (second place), foil team (third place), and sabre team (third place) all earning trophies.
SABRE
In the sabre weapon, five student-athletes represented the Green and Gold. Those five were
Zeyad Nofal (Cairo, Egypt / Newcastle International School),
Ethan Leung (Hong Kong / Yew Chung International School of Shanghai),
Brendan Goeddeke (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Warren De La Salle),
Sam Gneuhs (Mason, Ohio / William Mason), and
Bobbie Hirsch (Huntington Woods, Mich. / International Academy / Berkley).
Nofal compiled an 8-2 bout record that included a 3-0 performance against Lawrence and a 2-0 mark vs. Cleveland State. In the bout with the Vikings, the redshirt freshman nabbed a crucial touch while falling backwards to help lift Wayne State over LU.
Leung finished the day 1-1 in sabre while facing Detroit Mercy.
Goeddeke concluded the first day of competition with a 2-8 bout record, collecting wins vs. UDM and Lawrence.
Both Gneuhs (0-6) and Hirsch (0-2) were unable to notch a victory in the sabre weapon.
FOIL
Gneuhs, Hirsch, and Leung all competed in the foil weapon as well and were joined by
Carlos Santos (Grand Rapids, Mich. East Grand Rapids),
Mitchell Gatrell (Livonia, Mich. Churchill), and
Jakub Oronowicz (Clarkston, Mich.).
Gneuhs finished with an 0-1 record in the foil weapon, as the Warrior was downed in a bout with Detroit Mercy.
Hirsch and Santos both earned a 1-1 bout record, as the senior defeated a student-athlete from UDM, while the freshman defeated a member of the Cleveland State Unviersity squad.
Gatrell competed in nine bouts, compiling a 4-5 record. The junior nabbed wins vs. Lawrence University, The Ohio State University, and CSU.
Oronowicz ended the day with a 1-6 overall record, defeating a Lawrence student-athlete for his lone victory.
Ethan Leung had a 5-4 mark in the foil weapon, notching wins over LU and Cleveland State.
EPEE
Mahmoud Elsayed (Tanta, Gharbia, Egypt / El Nasr Official Language School),
Shuayb Dinkins (Kissimmee, Fla. / Lincoln Park / Celebration),
Sam Garrett,
Lance Miller (Freeport, Mich / Lowell), and
Bryce Heim (Oconomowoc, Wis.) all competed for WSU in the epee weapon.
Elsayed totaled an 8-2 bout record that included 2-0 performances against both Detroit Mercy, and CSU.
Dinkins finished with a 4-5 bout mark, collecting wins vs. UDM (2-0), and LU (2-1).
Garrett saw success against Detroit Mercy (3-0), Lawrence (2-1), and Cleveland State (2-1). The junior finished with a 7-4 bout record.
Both Heim (3-0) and Miller (1-1) saw action vs. the Titans and the Vikings.
UP NEXT
The Warriors will return on Sunday, February 23 for the second day of the CCFC Championships in the Matthaei Center.
