March 4, 2022
Banner Season: Fencers look to find their footing at women's championship in Kingston
Burlington, Ont. - Fencers from across the province are taking their talents to the piste this weekend, as the RMC Paladins get set to host the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Women's Fencing Championship. The Toronto Varsity Blues enter the competition with three straight provincial banners in hand, but with epée, foil, and sabre standouts across the 11-team field, each group will be in tough to come away with the banner at the Kingston Military Community Sports Centre.
2022 OUA Women's Fencing Championship | Fan Guide | Results
Golden three years in a row, the Varsity Blues are turning to a pair of fencers who know their way around the podium to help them extend their streak to four.
After just barely missing the individual epée podium in her first two OUA championship efforts, Leanna Lui reached the top of the mountain at the 2020 fencing finale. Coming into 2022 as the defending epée champion, as well as a member of the defending champion Blues, the fourth-year medical science major from Thornhill, Ont. will look to successfully defend her gold in both respects.
Heading into her final conference championship, meanwhile, Rebecca Jeffrey will look to follow in the footsteps of her teammate to capture her first individual gold. Having twice won silver, to go along with a bronze in sabre, the senior from Muskoka, Ont., much like the 13-time champions from Toronto overall, has her sights set on a first-place finish this time out.
Similar to the pair of OUA all-stars leading the charge for Toronto, it will be a decorated dynamic duo spearheading the efforts of the reigning silver medalists from Western.
Richmond Hill, Ont. native and 2020 sabre all-star Lily Liu, who took home the top spot last time out to earn the Fred Wach Trophy, will help to anchor the team therein once again, but multi-time all-star, Nicola Cheng (West Vancouver, B.C.) is looking to make her mark in a different discipline to finish her university career on a high note.
In 2020, Cheng was second in both individual and team epée, and despite finding phenomenal success therein, the kinesiology major is fencing foil as a new challenge. Even with the switch, however, Cheng has been putting in the work to make the most of the final OUA championship of her undergrad.
"I have been going to as many varsity practices as possible, as well as going to the gym two to three times outside of practice to improve strength and cardio," said Cheng. "I think I am both physically and mentally ready for OUAs. I have worked so hard for it and now is my time to enjoy the competition and have fun."
Finishing just one point shy of the top-three in 2020, the RMC Paladins are hoping to step onto the podium when they return to the championship stage. Despite bringing a handful of experienced fencers to this weekend's finale - including twin sisters Jenna and Alyssa Kane, who will lead the RMC sabre and foil teams, respectively - the 2022 edition of the women's fencing finale will see half of the host squad making their banner season debut.
First-year engineering student Stephanie Leach (Edmonton, Alta.) is one such newcomer, and the member of the RMC foil contingent is looking forward to seeing how she measures up against the OUA's best. New to the team, but not the championship, meanwhile, senior Joanna Kasprzak joins the Paladins after a successful stint with the Western Mustangs. Part of the epée team that claimed gold in 2019, the London, Ont. native is hoping for a similarly successful debut for the Paladins.
Regardless of their tenure with the team heading into the weekend, however, head coach and maître d'armes Patricia Howes hopes that her team comes away with more than just the championship experience. "One of my biggest goals for our team is to rediscover the joy of fencing competitions," said Howes. "After two years of training without competition, I'm looking forward to sharing the joy of competing against the rest of the OUA with my team."
Much like their fellow Kingston-based squad, the Queen's Gaels are similarly looking forward to facing their conference competitors once again. This weekend's championship has been the sole focus for the Tricolour, and for the Gaels to shake off the rust and put their best foot forward for banner season, the likes of Emily Mason and Caroline Whitehead will need to be key contributors.
Mason, who came to Queen's with almost 10 years of competitive experience, has led the team as captain for the past two seasons. In what will be her final year competing with the fencing club, the Vancouver, B.C. native is hungry for an OUA medal. A bronze medalist at the 2021 Canadian National Fencing Championships this past December, meanwhile, Whitehead is excited to put her sabre prowess on display at her first OUA championship, taking place in her hometown of Kingston.
Coming back after the cancelled 2020-21 season, the McMaster Marauders are returning to championship action with a smaller contingent, but the reduced roster size doesn't mean diminished drive to compete or capacity to win. The Hamilton squad is hoping for some career performances that can spark a podium finish and help build a budding foundation for future years.
A leader who has been part of the recent rebuild is Denise Sabac, and as a senior member of the Marauders, the third-year health sciences major from Toronto, Ont. brings a quiet confidence to the piste. McMaster is looking forward to once again seeing her leadership on display as she captains the otherwise junior foil team in what will be her third championship outing.
The Marauders are also looking to some of their newcomers, such as Natalie Palmer, to step up on the conference stage. The arts and science student from Mississauga, Ont. might be a rookie with little competitive fencing experience, but the team has their eyes on the second generation sabre fencer as someone to produce a surprise performance above her years.
Another team relying greatly on their incoming fencers is the Carleton Ravens, with interim coach Kyle Girard hoping his young, excited team is able to shake off the rust from the pandemic and gain valuable experience at this year's final. "Obviously, the beginners have some nerves, but everyone is eager to get back to normal, have a tournament again, and fence other people outside our club."
Among Carleton's most experienced foil fencers, Jillian Hu-Tcherykh (Ottawa, Ont.) will look to bring stability to the young team that features many members getting their first taste of high-level fencing. As the Ravens return to competition, however, Hu-Tcherykh eyes a top-eight finish for the black birds.
The Rams will see a pair of their fencers head to Kingston for the upcoming championship, and while that means they won't be eligible for team events or standings, they are still hoping to make their mark. Second-year standout Erika Dominguez is one of the student-athletes making the trek, and coming off a fourth-place finish in the individual foil event at her one and only previous championship performance, the Oakville, Ont. native is poised for another podium push this time around.
The aforementioned schools will be joined on the piste by the Brock Badgers, Ottawa, Gee-Gees, Trent Excalibur, and Waterloo Warriors.
The two-day schedule at the 2022 OUA Women's Fencing Championship begins on Saturday, March 5 with the individual efforts in each of the three disciplines, followed by the three team events on Sunday, March 6, all of which will take place at the Kingston Military Community Sports Centre.
2022 OUA Women's Fencing Championship | Fan Guide | Results
Golden three years in a row, the Varsity Blues are turning to a pair of fencers who know their way around the podium to help them extend their streak to four.
After just barely missing the individual epée podium in her first two OUA championship efforts, Leanna Lui reached the top of the mountain at the 2020 fencing finale. Coming into 2022 as the defending epée champion, as well as a member of the defending champion Blues, the fourth-year medical science major from Thornhill, Ont. will look to successfully defend her gold in both respects.
Heading into her final conference championship, meanwhile, Rebecca Jeffrey will look to follow in the footsteps of her teammate to capture her first individual gold. Having twice won silver, to go along with a bronze in sabre, the senior from Muskoka, Ont., much like the 13-time champions from Toronto overall, has her sights set on a first-place finish this time out.
Similar to the pair of OUA all-stars leading the charge for Toronto, it will be a decorated dynamic duo spearheading the efforts of the reigning silver medalists from Western.
Richmond Hill, Ont. native and 2020 sabre all-star Lily Liu, who took home the top spot last time out to earn the Fred Wach Trophy, will help to anchor the team therein once again, but multi-time all-star, Nicola Cheng (West Vancouver, B.C.) is looking to make her mark in a different discipline to finish her university career on a high note.
In 2020, Cheng was second in both individual and team epée, and despite finding phenomenal success therein, the kinesiology major is fencing foil as a new challenge. Even with the switch, however, Cheng has been putting in the work to make the most of the final OUA championship of her undergrad.
"I have been going to as many varsity practices as possible, as well as going to the gym two to three times outside of practice to improve strength and cardio," said Cheng. "I think I am both physically and mentally ready for OUAs. I have worked so hard for it and now is my time to enjoy the competition and have fun."
Finishing just one point shy of the top-three in 2020, the RMC Paladins are hoping to step onto the podium when they return to the championship stage. Despite bringing a handful of experienced fencers to this weekend's finale - including twin sisters Jenna and Alyssa Kane, who will lead the RMC sabre and foil teams, respectively - the 2022 edition of the women's fencing finale will see half of the host squad making their banner season debut.
First-year engineering student Stephanie Leach (Edmonton, Alta.) is one such newcomer, and the member of the RMC foil contingent is looking forward to seeing how she measures up against the OUA's best. New to the team, but not the championship, meanwhile, senior Joanna Kasprzak joins the Paladins after a successful stint with the Western Mustangs. Part of the epée team that claimed gold in 2019, the London, Ont. native is hoping for a similarly successful debut for the Paladins.
Regardless of their tenure with the team heading into the weekend, however, head coach and maître d'armes Patricia Howes hopes that her team comes away with more than just the championship experience. "One of my biggest goals for our team is to rediscover the joy of fencing competitions," said Howes. "After two years of training without competition, I'm looking forward to sharing the joy of competing against the rest of the OUA with my team."
Much like their fellow Kingston-based squad, the Queen's Gaels are similarly looking forward to facing their conference competitors once again. This weekend's championship has been the sole focus for the Tricolour, and for the Gaels to shake off the rust and put their best foot forward for banner season, the likes of Emily Mason and Caroline Whitehead will need to be key contributors.
Mason, who came to Queen's with almost 10 years of competitive experience, has led the team as captain for the past two seasons. In what will be her final year competing with the fencing club, the Vancouver, B.C. native is hungry for an OUA medal. A bronze medalist at the 2021 Canadian National Fencing Championships this past December, meanwhile, Whitehead is excited to put her sabre prowess on display at her first OUA championship, taking place in her hometown of Kingston.
Coming back after the cancelled 2020-21 season, the McMaster Marauders are returning to championship action with a smaller contingent, but the reduced roster size doesn't mean diminished drive to compete or capacity to win. The Hamilton squad is hoping for some career performances that can spark a podium finish and help build a budding foundation for future years.
A leader who has been part of the recent rebuild is Denise Sabac, and as a senior member of the Marauders, the third-year health sciences major from Toronto, Ont. brings a quiet confidence to the piste. McMaster is looking forward to once again seeing her leadership on display as she captains the otherwise junior foil team in what will be her third championship outing.
The Marauders are also looking to some of their newcomers, such as Natalie Palmer, to step up on the conference stage. The arts and science student from Mississauga, Ont. might be a rookie with little competitive fencing experience, but the team has their eyes on the second generation sabre fencer as someone to produce a surprise performance above her years.
Another team relying greatly on their incoming fencers is the Carleton Ravens, with interim coach Kyle Girard hoping his young, excited team is able to shake off the rust from the pandemic and gain valuable experience at this year's final. "Obviously, the beginners have some nerves, but everyone is eager to get back to normal, have a tournament again, and fence other people outside our club."
Among Carleton's most experienced foil fencers, Jillian Hu-Tcherykh (Ottawa, Ont.) will look to bring stability to the young team that features many members getting their first taste of high-level fencing. As the Ravens return to competition, however, Hu-Tcherykh eyes a top-eight finish for the black birds.
The Rams will see a pair of their fencers head to Kingston for the upcoming championship, and while that means they won't be eligible for team events or standings, they are still hoping to make their mark. Second-year standout Erika Dominguez is one of the student-athletes making the trek, and coming off a fourth-place finish in the individual foil event at her one and only previous championship performance, the Oakville, Ont. native is poised for another podium push this time around.
The aforementioned schools will be joined on the piste by the Brock Badgers, Ottawa, Gee-Gees, Trent Excalibur, and Waterloo Warriors.
The two-day schedule at the 2022 OUA Women's Fencing Championship begins on Saturday, March 5 with the individual efforts in each of the three disciplines, followed by the three team events on Sunday, March 6, all of which will take place at the Kingston Military Community Sports Centre.
