Summer Nationals 2024, Day 5 Recap: Clubs Provide a Welcome Boost of Energy as Fencers Fight for Gold

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In her final event as a Y-14 fencer, Scarlett Lee (New York Fencing Academy) finished in style. But first, she played pickleball.

The night before winning the 2024 national championship in Y-14 Women’s Epee, Lee and her friends blew off some steam.

“We played pickleball. I listened to music,” she says. “I knew it was my last Y-14 event, so I tried to enjoy it. It's like, you love it so, you can enjoy it. Right?”

Even after a relaxing night, Lee still felt the pressure when her fencing day started at 8 a.m.

“I woke up really tired and thinking, ‘Oh, I might not do well. And I’m fencing all my friends. It was a really tough journey, but I really liked it.”

Lee’s championship was one of 18 gold medals earned on Wednesday, July 3, at the USA Fencing National Championships & July Challenge, also known as Summer Nationals.

In his career as a Vet Saber fencer, Jeff Kallio (Forge Fencing Teams) has won medals in Vet Combined and at Veteran NACs. But he hadn’t won a national championship — until today.

“It feels awesome,” he says. “I'm just so inspired by our club and our team. And everything that I do is just because I have their support and their love — and the love of my awesome wife, Jennifer Oldham, who coached me today to the final.”

Kallio says his Forge Fencing Teams club has a wide range of fencers in Columbus: “from Y-12 to Vet 70.”

“That just reflects the diversity of our club, and it's just a really intentional part of our club that we build and we just create space for people to meet their goals in fencing — depending on if they want to come and try to train for international tournaments or be just a recreational fencer and find a community,” he says. “Finding their own path is how we roll.”

Earlier in the day, the Senior Men’s Saber team from Globus Fencing Academy, “All Around the Globus” (Tony Escueta, Christopher Guffey, Rubin Hong, Bernard Witek) rolled to gold after an intense final that found them searching for the win at 44-44. 

Coming down to the final touch, Escueta’s teammates said their job was to motivate and focus on getting the next touch.

“My teammates brought me to the point I was at,” Escueta says. “I trusted them, they trusted me, so throughout the whole day I remembered that and it helped me relieve a lot of the pressure.”

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Scarlett Lee (New York Fencing Academy) 

Silver: Regina Lee (Swords Fencing Studio) 

Bronze: Luxi Guo (Yang Fencing Club) 

Bronze: Yoyo Wang (Swords Fencing Studio) 

5th: Maya M. Kozlowski (Woodlands International Fencing Club) 

6th: Katya Seregin (Marx Fencing Academy) 

7th: CJ Tolsma (Alliance Fencing Academy) 

8th: Adriana Ferreira de Melo (South Florida Fencing Club)

Gold: Lola Possick (Advance Fencing and Fitness Academy)

Silver: Vivian Lu (University of Pennsylvania & Oregon Fencing Alliance)

Bronze: Maggie Shealy (Boston Fencing Club & Brandeis University)

Bronze: Alexandra Lee (Princeton University & Premier Fencing Academy)

5th: Aria Bevacqua (Manhattan Fencing Center)

6th: Atara Greenbaum (University of Notre Dame & Alle Fencing Club)

7th: Natalie Shearer (Laguna Fencing Center)

8th: Sela Feig (Bergen Fencing Club)

Gold: Chase Emmer (Massialas Foundation (M Team)

Silver: Bryce Louie (LAIFC)

Bronze: Andrew Chen (Bluegrass Fencers' Club) 

Bronze: Jacob Huth (Apex Fencing Academy) 

5th: Edriss Ndiaye 

6th: James Bourtis (New York Athletic Club / Rochester Fencing Club) 

7th: Jeidus Deseranno (Renaissance Fencing Club) 

8th: Liam Bas (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy)

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Andy Zheng (Guanyi Fencing Academy/Twin Cities Fencing Club)

Silver: Benjamin Kim (Bayside Fencing Club) 

Bronze: Jack Melcher (LEO Fencing Club) 

Bronze: Daniel Gao (Cavalier Fencing Club) 

5th: Jake Mann (Wanglei International Fencing Club) 

6th: Reilly Brislawn (TeamK Fencing / NMFC/Duke City Fencing) 

7th: James Knox (Fencers Club Inc.) 

8th: Houston Fullerton (Olympic Fencers Club)

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Emma Fung (Silicon Valley Fencing Center) 

Silver: Audrey Yang (Maximum Fencing Club) 

Bronze: Bridgette Ouyang (Star Fencing Academy) 

Bronze: Alina Zhang (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club, Port Chester) 

5th: Skylar Knight (Duke University Fencing NCAA / Maximum Fencing Club) 

6th: Sarah Mei (OnTarget Fencing Club / Invicta Sports) 

7th: Chuxi Sheng (AIC Fencing Club) 

8th: Eden De La Cruz (LA International Fencing)

Gold: All Around the Globus (Tony Escueta, Christopher Guffey, Rubin Hong, Bernard Witek)

Silver: Scarsdale Fencing Center (Maximilian Denner, Philip Lin, William Morrill, Henry Nadile)

Bronze: AGFC Team A (Arthur Bonifield, Michael Costin, Alvin So, Zhuoyi Wang)

Gold: NYAC Immortals (Jonathan Bartlett, Chris O'Loughlin, Alexander Tsinis, Rick Watrall)

Silver: 'Epeed Again! (Remi DePommier, Eric Pho, Andrew Prihodko, Michael Springer)

Bronze: NWFC Expire (Dennis Clinefelter, Erich Cranor, Fred Frank, Peter Roberts)

Gold: Goddess Gang (Jasmina Denner, Eileeen Foley, Nona Lim, Julie Seal)

Silver: Victorious Secret (Leigh Altman, Kate Sierra, Clare Deming, Laura Johnson)

Bronze: Shameless Slayers (Shannon Dudnick, Sarah Feitler, Rebecca Freyre, Kathryn Pierrynowski)

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Jeff Kallio (Forge Fencing Teams)

Silver: James Zirkle (Red Star Fencing Club Chicago)

Bronze: Max Terentiev (Fencing Academy Of Westchester) 

Bronze: William Chang (Capital Fencing Academy / Fencing Sports Academy, Inc.) 

5th: Jonathan Bartlett (New York Athletic Club / Rockland Fencers Club) 

6th: Douglas Miller (RedStar Fencing Club Chicago) 

7th: Brian Chen (LA Fencing Academy of Pomona) 

8th: Benjamin Dirsmith (Salle Auriol Seattle / Washington Fencing Academy)

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Kim Phillips (Zeta Fencing) 

Silver: Sergey Makogon (Salt City Swords Fencing Club)

Bronze: Matthew Zoller (Fencing Academy Of Denver) 

Bronze: Ronald Thornton (Capital Fencing Academy) 

5th: Richard Colter (Denver Fencing Center) 

6th: Robert Penton (Triple Threat Fencing Academy) 

7th: William Becker (Gateway Florida) 

8th: Michael Bacon (Manhattan Fencing Center)

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Chris Matt (Capital Fencing Academy) 

Silver: Joshua Runyan (Spartak) 

Bronze: Dmitri Kopylov (Lilov Fencing Academy) 

Bronze: Donald Anthony Jr. (The Ohio State University) 

5th: Val Kizik (IndySabre) 

6th: Carl Badger (Forge Fencing Teams) 

7th: Chris Dahl (Fencing Academy Of Boston) 

8th: Jacaeber Kastor (Manhattan Fencing Center)

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Garik Gutman (Capital Fencing Academy) 

Silver: Michael Szathmary (Middle Tennessee Fencing Club) 

Bronze: Joseph Streb (Columbus International Fencing Academy / Royal Arts Fencing Academy) 

Bronze: Donald Malnati (Nazlymov Fencing Foundation) 

5th: Keith Baker (Nazlymov Fencing Foundation) 

6th: Lloyd Wright (Phoenix Fencing Academy) 

7th: Doc Kath

8th: David Seuss (Fencing Academy Of Boston)

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Donald Anderson (New Mexico Fencing Foundation)

Silver: Lucas Dobrzanski (Kern Athletic Fencing Foundation & Gryphon Fencing)

Bronze: Fritz Chang (NEMA Fencing Center)

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Inga Cho (Renaissance Fencing Club)

Silver: Christina Kaneshige (Denver Fencing Center)

Bronze: Lacey Maddox (Charlotte Fencing Academy)

Bronze: Kundry HaberKern (Salle Auriol Seattle)

5th: Kathryn Pierrynowski (Research Triangle Fencing)

6th: Traci Sethre (Fargo-Moorhead Fencing Club & Twin Cities Fencing Club)

7th: Camilla Sise (New England)

8th: Amy Greenleaf (Connecticut)

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Jane Carter (Marx Fencing Academy & Tanner City Fencers Club)

Silver: Julie Seal (Valkyrie Fencing Club)

Bronze: Ann Marsh-Senic (Renaissance Fencing Club)

Bronze: Ann Totemeier (Northern Colorado Fencers & Denver Fencing Center)

5th: Bonnie Hennig-Trestman (Research Triangle Fencing)

6th: Judith Bassik (Profencing)

7th: Lesley Chapman (Ludus Fencing Studio)

8th: Margaret Kerr (Worcester Fencing Club)

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Badger Merritt (Capitol) 

Silver: Allison Treloar (Salle De Long Fencers / NMFC/Duke City Fencing) 

Bronze: Nora Gutkovskaya (Gutkovskiy Fencing Academy) 

Bronze: Georgina Love (Central Florida) 

5th: Monisha Tasker (Marx Fencing Academy / Worcester Fencing Club) 

6th: Harriet Eckstein (Presidio Fencing Club) 

7th: Kathleen Hermes (Connecticut) 

8th: Esperanza Alzona (Nazlymov Fencing Foundation)

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Anne-Marie Walters (Masters Fencing Club) 

Silver: Jennette Starks-Faulkner (Connecticut Fencers Club) 

Bronze: Jude Offerle (RedStar Fencing Club Chicago / University Of Notre Dame NCAA) 

Bronze: Rachel El-Saleh (Space City Fencing Academy) 

5th: Madelon Rosenfeld (Tim Morehouse Fencing Club / Fencers Club Inc.) 

6th: Joanne Stevens (Fencers Club Inc.) 

7th: Lynnette Whitt 

8th: Gemin Channing

Gold and 2024 National Champion: Bettie Graham (Chevy Chase Fencing Club)

Silver: Mary Turzillo (Capitol)

Find all the great Day 5 photos on Facebook.