October NAC: Day 2 Recap

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — After a summer that included serving as a Team USA training partner at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Chase Emmer (Massialas Foundation & Notre Dame) enters the 2024-25 season with high momentum and even higher expectations for himself.

With a Division I Men’s Foil gold medal on Saturday at the October 2024 North American Cup in Atlantic City, Emmer is off to the best possible start. 

“I mean, October NAC is always the first one of the season, so it's kind of a test of where you come out after the summer,” Emmer says. “So I feel really good. I'm happy to come out with a gold here.”

With the two-pool format in effect, Emmer’s status as one of the 34 highest-ranked fencers in the field meant his day didn’t begin until 2 p.m. By that time, many of his pool opponents had been fencing for hours and were fully warmed up.

“I definitely think my first bouts are always a little shaky, but as long as I’m not too critical on myself, I think I can make the proper adjustments,” he says. “[Two-pool] is a very neat format, and it kind of lends itself to always being ‘on’ the whole time, which I think makes champions.”

Speaking of champions, Michael Andres (Southern California Fencing Academy) has dreamed of excelling in a sport ever since he was a little kid. He found a home in fencing — and a family in his teammates at the Southern California Fencing Academy. 

Andres won Division II Men’s Saber gold on Saturday, taking a big next step in his fencing journey. But in a sign of strength and humility, he acknowledged he didn’t get there alone.

“I want to shout out my parents and everything they did for me,” he says, “and my sisters, my clubmates and my coaches for teaching me how to be good.”

For Julie Xiao (Manhattan Fencing Center), the step up to Junior Women’s Saber competition seems to be going well. She’s won three Cadet gold medals at NACs, but this is her first Junior win.

“I’m really happy, and I think it's a big step in my fencing career,” she says. “

Xiao attributes her success to increased training, particularly at MFC, which she called “a really big family” where “everyone's super supportive.”

After finishing 48th in the Division I event a day earlier, Xiao says she slowed down her pace, which helped her observe her opponents better. She also listened to her coach more closely.

“I think it was taking deep breaths, and having my coach yelling at me in the stands,” she says. “A combination of those two really helped.”