St. John's University Athletics
A Time Of Transition For St. John's Fencing
11/21/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Fencing
Gone are names like Ivan Lee, Keeth Smart, Arlene Stevens and Irina Khouade.
Those four fencers were among a group who, for five or six years, made St. John's fencing one of the elite programs in the country.
The legacy the last four classes of Red Storm fencers will leave behind is one of dominance at the intercollegiate, a well as international level, highlighted by winning the 2001 NCAA Championship.
And while the names for the casual observer will be different, the goals for the St. John's fencing team will be no different during the 2003-04 season.
The graduating class of 2003 left a huge void for head coach Yury Gelman, but he is quietly confident that this year's edition will continue the level of excellence of Red Storm fencing.
"It is a different group for us," Gelman admits. "We've lost some very talented fencers over the last two or three years, but at the same time, some of our other fencers have worked hard to maintain what has been done before them.
"We have some talented fencers who will lead the way for us, and some young kids who will need to step up for us in order to compete at the level we expect."
St. John's Men
While the Red Storm men lost, perhaps, the most decorated fencer in program history, Ivan Lee, to graduation, the roster is still experienced and should be among the best in the country this season. That's quite a statement, given that the program has had five first-team All-Americans in the last four years, but Gelman knows that with junior Arpad Horvath (epee) and sophomore Nitai Kfir (foil), he should have a pair of fencers who could be competing for medals later in the season. Add in sophomore Serhiy Isayenko (saber), and the Red Storm should be a factor come the postseason.
"I feel confident that we'll have success on the men's side because we have some very talented individuals at the top of each weapon," Gelman said. "We need to get our younger kids to show they are ready for this level."
Horvath, who posted a 20-2 record as a freshman and won the NCAA individual title in the epee, had an outstanding regular season last year, but struggled in the NCAA Championships, taking sixth last year. He will be expected to carry the load for the Red Storm in the epee. Freshmen Adam Rodney, a New Orleans native, and New Yorker Benjamin Bratton should contribute immediately. Rodney won the Tulane Open as a scholastic, while Bratton finished in third place at the Cadet World Championships last year.
In the foil, Kfir will lead the way. A former two-time Israeli National Champion, he joined the team at the mid-point last year. Kfir won the Northeast Regional and finished in second place at the NCAA Championships. Also back in the foil is sophomore Josh Guevara, a Houston native, who gained valuable experience during the regular season.
The biggest hole left is in the saber, where Lee dominated for four years. Isayenko, however, came to the University in the middle of the season and posted an impressive fourth-place showing at the NCAA Championships. Freshman Guillermo Espinoza, a Long Island native, has been fencing for less than a year, but finished in second place in the Nassau County Championships last year.
St. John's Women
On the women's side, the Red Storm will have to find a way to replace four-time All-American and United States Olympian Arlene Stevens in the epee, as well as All-American Irina Khouade and Liz Thottam in the foil
Leading the way will be a talented and experienced group in the saber. Juniors Christina Crane and Julia Gelman both earned All-American honors for the second-straight season last year, while sophomore Wieronski posted outstanding performances in the postseason.
Crane finished with a 37-5 individual record last season and took eighth at both the NCAA Regionals and the NCAA Championships, while Gelman also went 37-5 and finished in third at the NCAA Regionals and was the runner-up at the NCAAs. Wieronski went 32-10 during the regular season and finished in second place at the NCAA Regionals. With that trio, the Red Storm will enter the season with, perhaps, the deepest talent in this weapon in the country.
In the epee and the foil, Gelman will turn to a young cast of newcomers to help offset the losses from last season's team. Freshman Amy Delahanty was a Bluegrass State honoree in Kentucky, and Maria Fendorak, a local product from Port Jefferson in Long Island, should contribute in the foil. Sophomores Emilia Lagucik and Ewelina Lomecka are expected to lead the epee.
