Fencing: Five Buckeyes win gold, 17 total top-three finishers at OSU Open

In the opening weekend of Ohio State fencing, the Buckeyes dominated the field.

Junior foil Solin Li, senior epee Miles Weiss, fifth-year sabre Nolan Williams, senior foil Alina Lee and freshman sabre Grace Fan each took home a gold medal, while 12 others on Ohio State’s fencing teams earned podium positions Saturday at the French Field House.

The men’s foil event saw the Buckeyes earn a clean sweep of medals, with Li taking gold in a 15-7 victory over teammate sophomore Samuel Freedman in the finals. Senior Ilya Ayupov took bronze in the event, improving upon his sixth place finish in the 2023 OSU Open.

Ohio State claimed all three podium positions once again in the men’s epee event. Weiss claimed gold with a convincing 15-8 win over fellow Buckeye senior Gabriel Feinberg, who took home silver.

Senior Kinley Lavenstein fell to Feinberg 15-13 in a back-and-forth semifinal match, receiving a tie for third place with the loss.

The semifinals of the men’s sabre event featured all Buckeyes.

Williams defeated freshman Eddie Maklin 15-14 in the semis, while sophomore Samuel Rightler beat freshman James Schardine 15-10 on the other side of the bracket.

In the finals, Williams claimed his second 15-14 victory of the day, edging out Rightler for the gold medal.

Women’s foil also featured three Buckeyes who reached the medal round.

Lee dominated her way to a first-place finish, winning 15-8 in the semifinal before defeating senior teammate Claire Teresa Galavotti 15-7 in the final. In her semifinal bout, Galavotti ousted sophomore Raiyan Moradi-Bidhendi 15-11.

Ohio State posted its weakest overall finish in women’s epee — the only event where the Buckeyes did not claim gold.

Junior Sally Fan and senior Lucy Whittemore both fell in the semifinal round 15-6 and 15-7, respectively, each garnering a bronze medal.

Two Ohio State fencers received medals in the women’s sabre event, with Fan winning a closely fought final 15-14. Senior Katherine Larimer fell by a single point in the semifinals, leaving her tied for a third-place feature.