St. John's University Athletics
Friday, January 3
Charlotte, N.C. (Charlotte Convention Center)
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January North American Cup
15 Red Storm Fencers Impress at the January North American Cup
1/6/2020 5:15:00 PM | Fencing
Ivan Zagoruiko led all current St. John’s fencers with a 7th place finish in Division I Epee
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Jan. 6, 2020) – In the fourth North American Cup of the season, 15 current and former Johnnies competed against some of the top fencers in the nation this past weekend. St. John's performance was highlighted by Red Storm alumnus Benjamin Bratton, who finished as the runner up in the Division I Epee competition.
Bratton's second-place result marked the best finish by a St. John's male fencer this weekend. The 2007 graduate racked up victories in five of his six pool bouts. As the No. 8 seed in the Table of 128, Bratton secured six victories to clinch a spot in the finals. Bratton fell three touches short of capturing a gold medal, losing to Ayman Fayez, 15-12.
Eight other fencers participated in the Division I Men's Epee tournament, including former Red Storm fencer Curtis McDowald and senior Ivan Zagoruiko, who both reached the quarterfinal round and placed tied for third and seventh, respectively. Three other St. John's alumni (Adam Rodney, Sean White, and Cooper Schumacher) also recorded top-25 finishes. Shomari Moore was the other remaining active fencer to reach the Table of 128 as he finished tied for 48th place.
Freshman Tariq Karam and junior Dalton Walker excelled in the Division I Saber competition, completing the tournament with top-25 finishes. Karam's tie for 20th place secured his second consecutive North American Cup with a top-25 mark.
Two-time U.S. Olympian Dagmara Wozniak was the lone female fencer to represent St. John's in the Division I Saber tournament. The class of 2011 alumnae secured five wins in pool play to earn the No. 16 seed in the table of 128. The Avenel, N.J., native waltzed her way into the quarterfinals, outdueling her opponents by a combined 30 touches. Wozniak fell in her quarterfinal round match to Francesca Russo in a closely-contested bout, 15-13.
Three female fencers, including October North American Cup gold medalist Isis Washington, participated in the Division I Epee competition. Washington fell shy of reaching the quarterfinal round, finishing in 19th place. Right behind Washington was current Johnnie Dominique Tannous who rallied a pair of wins to reach the Round of 32. Melanie Dolgonos also featured in her first North American Cup event of the season, completing the weekend in a tie for 97th place.
The Johnnies will return to action as a team at the annual St. John's Invitational, which will be held at Taffner Field House on Saturday, Jan. 18.
Below is a summary of results from the January North American Cup:
Division I Men's Epee
Benjamin Bratton – 2nd Place
Curtis McDowald – T-3rd Place
Ivan Zagoruiko – 7th Place*
Adam Rodney – 9th Place
Sean White – T-20th Place
Cooper Schumacher – T-22nd Place
Shomari Moore – T-48th Place*
Donovan Stott – 203rd Place*
Nathan Vaysberg – T-230th Place*
Division I Men's Saber
Tariq Karam – T-20th Place*
Dalton Walker – 25th Place*
Division I Women's Saber
Dagmara Wozniak – 7th Place
Division I Women's Epee
Isis Washington – 19th Place
Dominique Tannous – 21st Place*
Melanie Dolgonos – T-97th Place*
* Indicates active Red Storm fencer
Bratton's second-place result marked the best finish by a St. John's male fencer this weekend. The 2007 graduate racked up victories in five of his six pool bouts. As the No. 8 seed in the Table of 128, Bratton secured six victories to clinch a spot in the finals. Bratton fell three touches short of capturing a gold medal, losing to Ayman Fayez, 15-12.
Eight other fencers participated in the Division I Men's Epee tournament, including former Red Storm fencer Curtis McDowald and senior Ivan Zagoruiko, who both reached the quarterfinal round and placed tied for third and seventh, respectively. Three other St. John's alumni (Adam Rodney, Sean White, and Cooper Schumacher) also recorded top-25 finishes. Shomari Moore was the other remaining active fencer to reach the Table of 128 as he finished tied for 48th place.
Freshman Tariq Karam and junior Dalton Walker excelled in the Division I Saber competition, completing the tournament with top-25 finishes. Karam's tie for 20th place secured his second consecutive North American Cup with a top-25 mark.
Two-time U.S. Olympian Dagmara Wozniak was the lone female fencer to represent St. John's in the Division I Saber tournament. The class of 2011 alumnae secured five wins in pool play to earn the No. 16 seed in the table of 128. The Avenel, N.J., native waltzed her way into the quarterfinals, outdueling her opponents by a combined 30 touches. Wozniak fell in her quarterfinal round match to Francesca Russo in a closely-contested bout, 15-13.
Three female fencers, including October North American Cup gold medalist Isis Washington, participated in the Division I Epee competition. Washington fell shy of reaching the quarterfinal round, finishing in 19th place. Right behind Washington was current Johnnie Dominique Tannous who rallied a pair of wins to reach the Round of 32. Melanie Dolgonos also featured in her first North American Cup event of the season, completing the weekend in a tie for 97th place.
The Johnnies will return to action as a team at the annual St. John's Invitational, which will be held at Taffner Field House on Saturday, Jan. 18.
Below is a summary of results from the January North American Cup:
Division I Men's Epee
Benjamin Bratton – 2nd Place
Curtis McDowald – T-3rd Place
Ivan Zagoruiko – 7th Place*
Adam Rodney – 9th Place
Sean White – T-20th Place
Cooper Schumacher – T-22nd Place
Shomari Moore – T-48th Place*
Donovan Stott – 203rd Place*
Nathan Vaysberg – T-230th Place*
Division I Men's Saber
Tariq Karam – T-20th Place*
Dalton Walker – 25th Place*
Division I Women's Saber
Dagmara Wozniak – 7th Place
Division I Women's Epee
Isis Washington – 19th Place
Dominique Tannous – 21st Place*
Melanie Dolgonos – T-97th Place*
* Indicates active Red Storm fencer
Players Mentioned
Epee
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Saber
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Epee
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Epee
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Epee
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Epee
/ Fencing
Epee
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Saber
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Epee
/ Fencing2020 St. John's Invitational Reel
Saturday, January 18
St. John's University Fencing Invitational Highlights
Saturday, January 19