St. John's University Athletics
Homer and Wozniak Take Gold at Pan American Games
7/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Fencing
QUEENS, N.Y. - Not even a full week removed from the Senior World Championships in Moscow, St. John's alums Benjamin Bratton, Daryl Homer and Dagmara Wozniak were back in action at the Pan American Games in Toronto. Homer and Wozniak managed to lead their respective U.S. saber squads to the top of the podium as both teams claimed the gold medal Thursday evening. Wozniak won two gold medals in Toronto as she also claimed first-place in the women's saber individual event.
Team Competition
The men's team included Homer, Eli Dershwitz, and Jeff Spear, while the women's squad was the same team that just claimed the bronze medal in Moscow. Their team included Wozniak, Ibtihaj Muhammad, and Mariel Zagunis.
The women's saber team was first up and they made quick work of El Salvador in the quarterfinals with an impressive 45-25 victory. Next up was Cuba, who got within eight touches late in the bout, but the U.S., was never threatened and came away with a 45-33 win to advance to the finals.
Although they were issued two yellow cards in the finals, the U.S. women's saber team easily handled Mexico, 45-31, to claim the gold.
On the men's side, the saber team was just as dominant as they defeated Chile, 45-24, in the quarterfinals before moving on to face Argentina in the semifinals. Homer recorded 17 touches, which was the most on the team, to help the men's squad win, 45-25.
In the finals, the U.S. would face its toughest opponent in Canada, which is the host country. The U.S. was down late (30-28) after Homer recorded five touches on his second time on the strip. The bout was close throughout, but the U.S. would eventually pull out the victory, 45-37, to win the gold.
Individual Competition
Wozniak looked to improve on her individual performance from Moscow, where she finished in 12th place in women's saber at the Senior World Championships. The Avenel, N.J., native finished the pool rounds Monday with a 4-1 record, giving her a fifth seed heading into the round of 16.
Wozniak was tied with the Dominican Republic's Heyydys Ysabel Valentin at eight in the second period before ending with a seven-touch run and a 15-8 victory, which set up a quarterfinal bout against her teammate and two-time Olympic Champion Mariel Zagunis .
After the first period, Wozniak had an 8-5 lead over Zagunis, but the two-time Olympic Champion didn't go away as she tied the bout at 12. Wozniak would then close out the bout with three unanswered scores to take the win, 15-12.
In the semifinal, Wozniak faced Canada's Gabriella Page in a close bout. Wozniak was up by a touch at the break, but Page would answer with four straight touches to open the second period with an 11-8 lead. However, she then outscored Page, 7-2, in the second to advance to the finals against Venezuela's Alejandra Benitez.
In the finals, Wozniak showed her determination to come away with gold when she held off a late run by Benitez who tied the bout at 12. Wozniak gave up just one more touch as she ended with a 3-1 run and a 15-13 victory. Wozniak ends the year ranked No. 7 in the world after winning her first senior international individual title.
Homer and Wozniak were not the only St. John's alums in Toronto. Bratton also made the trip and looked to improve on his 26th place finish in the men's epee individual in Moscow.
After a 3-2 record in pool play, Bratton defeated Colombia's Gustavo Adolfo Coqueco Guerrero, 15-12, in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals Bratton lost 15-8 to Venezuela's Ruben Limardo Gascon, who eventually went on to win the gold medal, while Bratton finished fifth.
In addition to being a member of the men's saber team, Homer also competed individually. The Bronx, N.Y., native is coming off an historic performance last week after claiming a silver medal at Senior Worlds and becoming the first U.S. man ever to win a medal in saber.
Coming into Toronto, Homer was the top seed in the event and was the favorite to take the gold. He is a first-time Pan American Games team member, and he finished 4-1 in pool play after he defeated Brazil's William Zeytounlian, 15-8.
In the quarterfinal, Homer would face a familiar face in Brazil's Renzo Agresta, who is the 2013 Pan American Champion whom Homer defeated, 15-14, in the semifinals of the Pan Am Championships in April.
Homer had the lead at the break, 8-6, but Agresta was assertive in the second half and tied the bout at nine before taking a 14-11 lead. The two would split the final two touches, which gave Agresta a 15-12 victory. Agresta placed third to take the bronze, while Homer finished in sixth place.
Players Mentioned
