The Wayne State University men’s and women’s fencing teams are set to compete at the Central Collegiate Fencing Conference (CCFC) Championships this weekend. The event will be held at Denison University’s Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on Saturday, February 21, and Sunday, February 22.
Saturday’s schedule features the team competitions, while individual events will take place on Sunday. Last year, Wayne State’s men’s team secured a second-place overall finish at the conference championships. The men’s epee squad placed second, while both the foil and sabre teams finished third. On the women’s side, the epee team also earned a second-place trophy with five bout wins.
This season, 17 student-athletes from the men’s program will participate across three weapon categories: epee, foil, and sabre. The women’s team will have eight competitors in total.
Men’s epee participants include Justin Chenh (Falls Church, Va.), Shuayb Dinkins (Kissimmee, Fla.), Mahmoud Elsayed (Tanta, Egypt), Bryce Heim (Oconomowoc, Wis.), and Cameron King (Laurel, Md.). Women’s epee competitors are Salma Abdrabou (Cairo, Egypt) and Reka Galfalvy (Budapest, Hungary).
For men’s foil events: Mitchell Gatrell (Livonia, Mich.), Sam Gneuhs (Mason, Ohio), Finn McIsaac (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Jakub Oronowicz (Clarkston, Mich.), Carlos Santos (Grand Rapids, Mich.), and Lukas Tsao (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) will represent Wayne State. In women’s foil: Anabella Acurero Gonzalez (Valencia, Venezuela) and Ludovica Mancini (Rome).
The men’s sabre lineup consists of Hunter Battisfore (Hancock), Connor Desautels (Redding), Gabriel Dumoulin (Newtown), Brendan Goeddeke (Sterling Heights), Eyad Marouf (Alexandria), and Gwyd Perry (Bloomfield). Women’s sabre participants include Shriya Bangalore (Frisco), Reagan Byars (Warren), Mikhala Rivers (Maple Grove), and Mehreen Siddiqui (Canton).
Saturday matches begin at 8:30 AM with contests against Lawrence for women’s teams and Cleveland State for men’s teams. Both squads face Detroit Mercy at 10:50 AM. Additional opponents throughout the day include Northwestern for women’s teams and Ohio State for men’s squads.
Individual competition starts Sunday morning at 8:00 AM for men followed by women at 12:30 PM.
Wayne State Warriors Women’s Fencing is affiliated with NCAA Division II athletics as part of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference according to their official website. The program is based in Detroit and participates in intercollegiate fencing within this conference structure as detailed online.
