Go blade or go home.
Both Penn fencing squads earned their highest finish in over 30 years at the NCAA Fencing Championships hosted by Notre Dame. Each squad finished fifth overall in the first edition of the tournament that saw men’s and women’s titles being awarded individually, as opposed to the combined, coed system of years prior.
The Quakers had five men and five women qualify for nationals after strong performances at NCAA regionals over spring break. Of those 10 qualifiers, six came away from the tournament with All-America honors.
“The competition was insanely tough and I’m proud of the way I fenced in a lot of bouts,” freshman epéeist and newly minted All-American Simon Lioznyansky wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
“[I’m] slightly disappointed that I was a win away from the top four but will try to be back next year to win,” he added.
Let’s break down how Penn fencers fared in the Hoosier State.
Underclassmen lead the way on the men’s side
During the first pool round, Lioznyansky faced stiff competition in 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Mohamed El-Sayed, who competes collegiately for Long Island University. The freshman handled business with ease, limiting the Olympian to two touches. Lioznyansky would go on to win nine more matches on the day, sitting in fifth after the first day of competition.
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“I won against an Olympic medalist and lost to future Olympians,” Lioznyansky wrote. “The level was very high and brought out some of my best fencing.”
Lioznyansky would ultimately finish eighth overall at the tournament, earning second team All-America honors in the first year of his collegiate career. Fellow epéeist junior Joseph Wu finished 24th overall after a string of defeats on the final day of competition.
The saber specialists had split trajectories throughout their respective tournaments.
Sophomore saber specialist Antonio Heathcock entered the pool rounds with momentum as the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Region Saber Champion. He went 4-3 in the first round of round-robin bouts with a streak of victories. The Beijing native would go on an eight-bout win streak during the second and third pool rounds, but finished 14-9 overall following some tough losses on the second day.
Two of Heathcock’s narrow defeats on the first day of competition came at the hands of eventual saber champion Ahmed Hesham from Notre Dame, and his own twin brother Colin Heathcock, who fences for Harvard.
Although fellow sophomore saber specialist Jaesun Yun suffered a slow start to the competition, he entered the final day ready to ascend the ranks. During the first pool round on the second day, Yun went 4-for-4 while limiting his opponents to two touches or less. He would carry that momentum to the final pool round of the day, pulling off another perfect round.
By the end of the competition, Yun catapulted himself from 12th place to sixth place to earn his first career All-America honor. Antonio Heathcock stood on the podium beside Yun, finishing eighth overall in the saber for his second career All-America honor.
Captains hold it down for the women’s fencing squad
The Quakers showed up and showed out at the inaugural NCAA Women’s Fencing Championship.
Penn women’s fencing took a seasoned squad into this historic tournament, including junior epéeist Victoria Kuznetsov, who earned a bronze medal at NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, and junior captain epéeist Grace Hu.
Kuznetsov and Hu faced off early in the tournament, with Kuznetsov pulling off the victory. Hu had a rough start to the competition, only notching two victories across the first two pool rounds, but she ended the day on a three-victory streak.
Hu went undefeated during the final pool rounds. She limited all but one of her opponents to three touches or less and climbed the ranks to crack the top 10 and earn All-America honors for the first time in her career. Kuznetsov also landed her second career All-America honors, finishing 11th overall for an honorable mention.
“I am really happy with the result, [I] think this season’s training and hard work culminates to NCAAs so being able to perform as best as I can and place in the top 10 was very rewarding,” Hu wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “I think this year was especially special since it was my first year both leading the team as captain to improve collectively, but also competing for myself and focusing energy on my individual performance. [I’m] really honored to have had the opportunity to both lead this team and also represent [Penn] on the national stage.”
Freshman foil specialist Kimberley Jang had a strong showing at her first collegiate national meet, going 9-6 on the first day of competition in a particularly deep field. Jang ultimately finished 10th overall in the foil, earning her first career All-America honors.
Although the 2025-26 collegiate fencing season has officially concluded, a number of Penn fencers have transitioned into their professional seasons. Lioznyansky represented the United States at the Epée World Cup in Kazakhstan last weekend, while Heathcock fenced for Team USA at the Men’s Saber Grand Prix in Hungary.
“I enjoyed the collegiate fencing season. I feel like it was very hype and I didn’t have a lot of pressure on me,” Lioznyansky wrote. “I got to just fence for fun with friends a lot of the time.”
“[T]his past season, [I]’ve learned a lot about what it means to lead and how to shift our culture towards one that will be most effective for us,” Hu wrote. “[N]ext season [I] hope to make the most of my senior year, leave my mark on this team and keep trying to help my team make lifelong memories.”
