Banner Season: Toronto looks to extend championship streak on the piste at latest fencing finale
Burlington, Ont. – Toronto will take to the piste this weekend with a pair of championship streaks in tow, but a collection of fantastic fencers will look to halt the Blues banner-sweeping stretch at four when they converge at Brock University’s Ian Beddis Gymnasium. In a combined display of skill across the three disciplines, the best women’s and men’s fencers from the provincial varsity scene prepare to go for gold at the 2023 OUA Fencing Championships from Friday, February 17th to Sunday, February 19th.
Championship Details
When: Friday, February 17 to Sunday, February 19
Where: Ian Beddis Gymnasium (Brock University)
Participating Schools (13): Brock Badgers (host), Carleton Ravens, Guelph Gryphons, McMaster Marauders, Ottawa Gee-Gees, Queen’s Gaels, RMC Paladins, Toronto Varsity Blues, TMU Bold, Trent Excalibur, Waterloo Warriors, Western Mustangs, York Lions
Defending Champions: Toronto Varsity Blues (W); Toronto Varsity Blues (M)
Student-Athletes to Watch:
Erika Dominguez, TMU Bold | The third-year standout from the Bold is no stranger to the championship stage, and even more so, standing atop the podium therein. The medical physics major from Oakville, Ont. won the individual gold medal in the women’s foil last year in what was her second banner season outing, and is looking to continue putting her hard work into action to defend her title in 2023.
Evangeline Dryburgh, Waterloo Warriors | Dryburgh brings the most experience to the OUA championship stage amongst the black and gold’s fencing contingent, and not only has she competed at multiple finales, but has been a standout amongst her conference peers. The third-year mechatronics engineering major is a former all-star and will not only look to produce a similar standout performance this weekend, but also help lead her fellow Warriors overall with her veteran presence.
Sara Fellman, Brock Badgers | As women’s foil captain, Fellman brings immense passion to the strip, helping her women’s squad capture team bronze in her two prior championships. This season, the senior from Brooklyn, N.Y. has eyes on bringing home an individual and team medal for the St. Catharines squad in front of the home crowd.
Nicholas Gutierrez-Sarabia, Brock Badgers | A first-year fencer from Budapest, Hungary, Gutierrez-Sarabia has been quick to make his mark on the varsity scene with Brock. The critical criminology student has been a consistent highlight of the 2022-23 season, challenging the top epee fencers in the OUA with his quiet, stoic demeanor and pinpoint blade work, all en route to capturing silver at the Brock Invitational and a bronze at each of the Queen’s Invitational and RMC Invitational.
Ethan Haines, TMU Bold | Haines won the individual gold medal in men’s foil at last year’s championship and is looking to defend his title in St. Catharines. The Oakville, Ont. standout studying biomedical engineering also helped the Bold relay team to a bronze medal last year and can help take the TMU team to the next level this season with a similarly strong showing.
Oscar Hand, McMaster Marauders | Hand, a fifth-year arts and science student, will compete at his second OUA Championships this weekend. In his rookie campaign, the Kingston, Ont. local was named an epee all-star. As a key member of the Marauders team roster, Hand was integral to the Marauders’ epee team bronze medal a year ago, while also delivering a dominant performance in the individual event, earning sixth place.
John Huang, Western Mustangs | Epee team captain for the Mustangs men, Huang picked up gold in the team event in 2018 and an individual silver a year ago. The senior medical student applying to radiology was also rookie of the year when his varsity tenure began in 2017 and secured MVP honours the following year, as he looks to keep building out his decorated university resumé for the purple and white.
Liam Kidman, Trent Excalibur | A first-year fencer for Trent, Kidman is looking to make a strong first impression in his foray onto the banner season stage. The Peterborough, Ont. product has been consistently improving in the lead up to the championships and is looking to use his strong outings as momentum heading into the finale.
Stephanie Leach, RMC Paladins | Leach is an experienced fencer who was recruited to RMC. She competed in Poland with the CISM team and is currently ranked 36th in Fencing Canada’s domestic rankings in women’s foil. The Edmonton, Alta. product won silver in the discipline at the Queen’s Hugh Munby Fencing Tournament in October, and also competed at a national event – Canada Cup #2 – this past month, finishing 27th out of 44 fencers.
Jiaan Li, Waterloo Warriors | A talented rookie on the Waterloo roster, Li is a member of the Canadian Junior National Team. At a recent Canada Cup event, the mechanical engineering student placed third in the senior men’s foil, experience that the Markham, Ont. local will surely look to draw on for his first taste of the OUA Fencing Championships.
Lily Liu, Western Mustangs | A golden member of the Mustangs will look to be just that once again in her third championship outing with Western. The women’s team captain from Richmond Hill, Ont. already has two individual gold medals to her name (2020, 2022), in addition to a pair of team silvers in those same years. Liu also won gold in the Canada Cup event earlier this month and is riding a wave of momentum into championship weekend as she looks for her third straight sabre crown.
Leanna Lui, Toronto Varsity Blues | Fifth-year veteran Lui will look to lead Toronto’s epeeists. The medical science major from Thornhill, Ont. is a two-time OUA all-star and won the Dr. Alex English Trophy as women’s epee individual champion in 2019-20. Despite the already impressive trophy case, Lui will be poised to add another title to her varsity haul this weekend.
Daniel Manyoki, Carleton Ravens | Manyoki, a senior arts and history student from Kanata, Ont., has found his way onto a number of podiums this pre-season, including a recent silver-medal finish in sabre at the 2022 Hugh Munby Fencing Tournament. He will look to navigate his way into the top-three once again at the highly-anticipated conference finale.
Colin McCurdy, Toronto Varsity Blues | McCurdy is the reigning George Tully Trophy winner as the fencer most proficient in skill, style, and sportsmanship. The third-year astronomy and physics major from Oshawa, Ont. will look to defend his individual title in the men’s epee, and will also call upon two-time OUA all-star Jonathan Zimmerman to help the Blues defend their epee team title.
Natalie Palmer, McMaster Marauders | Despite only a couple years of competitive fencing experience, the Mississauga, Ont. product is a second-generation sabre fencer for the Marauders and knows the sport well. At the 2022 OUA finale, Palmer had the best finish for the Hamilton squad, placing 10th overall in the individual sabre, while in the team event, she was a member of the McMaster group that placed sixth.
Alex Sun, Queen’s Gaels | Sun won the individual men’s sabre event in 2022 and was instrumental in the team silver that the Tricolour came away with at last year’s final as well. With a strong competitive season under his belt heading into the 2023 edition, having won gold at both the Queen’s and Brock Invitationals, the Richmond, B.C. native is looking to repeat his provincial prowess and lead the Gaels sabre team to the top of the podium this weekend.
Caroline Whitehead, Queen’s Gaels | At last year’s OUA Championship, Whitehead won the individual women’s sabre bronze medal, led the Queen’s sabre team to a third-place showing, and was awarded the Dave O’Donnell Trophy, given to the athlete who demonstrated the highest level of skill, style, and sportsmanship. As this is her last year at Queen’s, the senior applied science major will be looking to improve on last year’s results and get the coveted OUA gold to close out her tenure.
Andrew Willison, RMC Paladins | One of the more experienced fencers on the RMC squad, Willison has been fencing since 2008. The honours space science student has taken part in two OUA Championships to date and had the opportunity to compete in Poland this past summer with the CISM team. Willison is currently ranked No. 21 out of 197 fencers in Fencing Canada’s domestic rankings for men’s foil.
Storylines to Keep an Eye On:
Brock is entering the OUA Fencing Championships as underdogs on the women’s side. Strong recruitment from some of the team’s top competitors will be an obstacle for the hosts this weekend, but the Badgers are determined to battle throughout the event and expect to see several podium finishes along the way. The overall outlook for the men’s team heading into championships will be one of overcoming adversity, injuries, and fighting the giants of the OUA. The team is currently rebuilding from the pandemic and the graduation of seniors last season, but behind one of the most powerful men’s epee teams in the conference, Brock is looking at securing a top-four finish overall.
Carleton boasts a mix of returning student-athletes and impressive rookie headliners as the Ravens return to the OUA Championships. With strong representation from rookies Ava Zheng and Hope Johnson, the black birds’ women’s team is back on track to be a competitive force against the rest of the conference competitors at the banner season finale. The men’s contingent, meanwhile, is led by a veteran core who have performed well to date, especially among the sabre representatives who are poised for a strong showing at the 2023 event.
After a podium finish by the McMaster men a season ago, the Marauders are ready to move up the leaderboard and upgrade their bronze medals this time around. With a combination of rookie and veteran experience, the Hamilton, Ont. group will be a threat for the team title, while the women’s side are returning to the piste with more experience under their belts. Sure to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish, the maroon machine is hoping for some impressive performances to showcase the development of the program.
The Queen’s women’s team missed out on the podium last year by just a few points overall, and with the majority of that team returning to championship action this year, the Tricolour are well aware of what they need to do to succeed on the banner season stage. The team have trained hard all season to earn their spot on the podium this year, much like their fellow Gaels on the men’s side. Queen’s added some highly competitive members to the roster, who along with he upper-year members of the team, have been working hard to also step onto the overall podium and rise up the ranks from their fourth-place finish a year ago.
Entering the weekend’s festivities, the RMC women’s team had to replace a lot of senior fencers from last year’s squad. The goal is for the youth to help the Paladins hold their ranks in the overall OUA standings from the past and gain valuable championship experience along the way. The men’s contingent for the Kingston, Ont. squad is looking upward; however, as they are striving to improve on their seventh-place finish from last year’s event.
Toronto’s women are vying for their fifth consecutive OUA banner, while the men are looking to bring home a seventh straight title. The former enter the 2023 competition as the defending champions in the epee, foil, and sabre team relay events, while the latter, who also have their sights set on breaking the current championship streak record, are the most recent team relay winners in both sabre and epee. Joining Lui and McCurdy as decorated returnees are also David Chen-Li, Astrid Chandler, and Esther Isadora Falkson.
The focus for the TMU Bold this year has been on rebuilding the team, and while there is only a small contingent of fencers on the women’s side, the men’s team has their sights set on the podium at this year’s championships. Many of the TMU fencers are showing great potential on the piste, so the Bold are looking to transition from a top-five team last year into a top-three team this time around.
The women’s team for Waterloo, led by all-star Dryburgh, features several individuals for whom this will be their or second competition ever, and while the men’s team also lacks varsity experience, their successful recruitment across all three weapons makes them a strong contender for the OUA banner.
Western’s women’s fencers came just shy of taking home the OUA banner in 2022 and are hoping that added experience and some marquee fencers will push them to that next level. Taking that step will be a challenge amongst the impressive crop of conference fencers, much like it will be for the Mustangs men. They continue to strive to be one of the better teams in the OUA as they compete with some powerhouse programs, and like their teammates on the women’s side, will hope that drive helps them step atop the podium this weekend.
What They’re Saying:
“I’m thrilled and anxious at the same time to be the host team of the OUA Championships this year. It will be a can’t-miss event to have both the men’s and women’s championships running simultaneously on our campus. We’re excited to compete in front of our friends and family.” – Sara Fellman, Student-Athlete, Brock Badgers
“It has been inspiring watching both teams work so hard this year. Rounding off 13 years of fencing with the Queen’s team has been a privilege and I can’t wait to see how everyone performs at OUAs.” – Caroline Whitehead, Student-Athlete, Queen’s Gaels
“This is the first full competitive season since COVID-19 and it has been amazing to watch the team grow and develop from their first competition in the fall to now. Both the women’s and men’s teams have had a successful year so far and I am excited to see them bring this season to a great close at the OUAs.” – Rodney Carter, Head Coach, Queen’s Gaels
“The team is excited to head into another season with a strong base for both the women and men. We’re not getting too wrapped up in anticipation, but we are hopeful and confident that we are in a good position to pull out some more medals and victories.” – Thomas Nguyen, Head Coach, Toronto Varsity Blues
“I feel excited to demonstrate the effort that we have been working to achieve through our practices this season.” – Jackie Heitzner, Student-Athlete, Waterloo Warriors
“The team has been putting in hard work – we’re focused, we’re motivated, and we’re ready to reveal our true grit and represent the university proudly.” – Hamza Shahzadeh, Student-Athlete, Waterloo Warriors
“I think our expectations for OUAs as a team are particularly exciting this year because we had such a large team. Since this was the first year with a full season, it was good for the team to get significantly more experience and our hard work and dedication to each other’s improvement will be tested at OUAs. We have a strong team in terms of talent and culture, and we have a good shot at taking the banner.” – Steven Zhang, Student-Athlete, Western Mustangs
