Northwest Wayne News

Four members of the Wayne State University men's fencing team recently participated in individual competitions as the 2025 season began. Three athletes competed at the January North American Cup in Kansas City, Missouri, while one took part in the Junior World Cup in Basel, Switzerland.

Mahmoud Elsayed represented Wayne State and Egypt at the Junior World Cup. In pool play, he achieved a 4-2 record with a +9 touch differential (26-17). Ranked 58th entering direct elimination, Elsayed defeated Mykhailo Sydorov of Ukraine 15-13 in the Table of 256 but lost to Mathias Murumaa of Estonia 15-14, finishing 82nd out of 286 competitors.

Elsayed also contributed significantly to Egypt's team performance. After receiving a first-round bye as the second seed, Egypt faced Saudi Arabia in the Table of 16. Elsayed's early five-touch lead helped secure a narrow victory for Egypt, which advanced after defeating Saudi Arabia 45-43. In subsequent rounds, Elsayed continued to perform well against Hungary and Italy. Ultimately, Egypt triumphed over Kazakhstan 45-30 in the final match to win gold.

In Kansas City, Ethan Leung competed in foil. Ranked no. 213, Leung finished pool play with a +2 touch differential (25-23) and entered direct elimination ranked 107th. He won his first bout against Daniel Kim but was defeated by SanJay Kasi, concluding his run at 139th out of 265 athletes.

Zeyad Nofal participated in sabre events and ended pool play with a +11 touch differential (28-17), ranking him 44th for direct elimination. Nofal advanced past Hank Bauer but was eliminated by Cody Ji, placing him at 44th out of 221 participants.

Bryce Heim competed in epee and completed pool play with a -1 touch differential (18-19). He fell to Ethan Romanov in his first elimination bout and finished at position 175 out of 287 fencers.

Wayne State University will host the Danosi Open on Saturday, January 11.