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NYU Opens Season at Temple Open; Grant Williams Finishes First in Saber

NYU Opens Season at Temple Open; Grant Williams Finishes First in Saber
Posted: Oct 30, 2016

From NYU Athletics

The New York University men's fencing team opened its 2016-17 campaign at the Temple Collegiate Open on Sunday, October 30, in Philadelphia, PA.

The day was highlighted by sophomore Grant Williams' first-place finish in saber. The Atlanta, GA, native, who finished second in the event last season, won four of five bouts in both the first round and the second round to advance to direct elimination. In the elimination round, Williams reeled off five straight victories to advance back to the finals. This time however, Williams narrowly defeated New Jersey Institute of Technology's Thomas Slowinski 15-14 to capture the top spot. 

"Last year, Grant finished in second place and his match came down to 14-14," said NYU Assistant Coach Lauren Willock Wunderlich. "He showed a lot of maturity and poise today, and it was nice to see him come away with a win."

Sophomore Mickey Bak (tied for 3rd) and freshman Matt Chen (6th) also advanced to the Round of 8 in saber.

In epee, Malcolm Lewis led the way with a ninth-place finish, In foil, freshmen Gabriel Mejia-Ruiz (5th) and Michael Lee (8th) each advanced to the Round of 8.

"Overall, we had a great day," concluded Willock Wunderlich.

There was no team scoring at the Open.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

- Senior captain Quinten Burgunder tied for 11th in saber.

- Junior captain Yash Srivastav (16th) and freshman Aatish Varma (17th) earned top-20 finishes in foil and epee, respectively.