CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. (November 22, 2023) – The Sacred Heart University men's fencing team put together a 4-2 record on Sunday to finish third at the Northeast Fencing Conference #1 Meet, hosted by Boston College at Connell Recreation Center. At the conclusion of the competition, Frank Eke was named to the NFC All-Star First Team in epee, while Ethan Logue (Pleasanton, Calif.) and Vijay Ganta (Warren, N.J.) earned Second Team accolades in the epee and sabre, respectively.
 
The Pios came out of the gates with three straight victories, as they defeated Wagner, 15-12, slipped past Brandeis, 16-11, and trounced Brown, 21-6. The only setback of the day was a tight, 15-12 loss to MIT, before SHU bounced back with a 16-11 victory over Vassar. The Pios wrapped up the day with a 21-6 defeat to host Boston College.
 
"With the removal of clubs and additions of varsity programs, the conference has grown stronger," said head coach Khristopher White. "[The Pios] competed at this meet without a coach last year and did not win any of their matches, so for them to win four of six this year shows improvement."
 
The epee squad led the way on the day for the Pioneers, with 33 victories across 54 bouts, good for a .611 winning percentage. Eke put together a 13-4 record across 17 bouts, while Logue was 11-6, as both earned All-Star honors on the day.
 
"Frank competed like someone who wanted to win a championship, and was rewarded by making First Team All-Conference," said White. "We also had Stephen Scapicchio (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) come off the bench and sweep Brandeis, showing that what we have been going over in practice can manifest itself in a bout, and I am very happy with how they both fenced today."
 
The sabre crew put together a winning mark as well, with 28 wins in its 54 bouts (.519). Ganta led the way at 12-6 over 18 bouts, while Dom Bartolo (Selden, N.Y.) chipped in a 10-7 record. The Pios finished just under .500 in the foil, where they picked up 25 wins over 54 bouts (.463). Chaissen Costello (Tiverton, R.I.) was 9-9 to pace SHU in the discipline.
 
"If we want to be in consideration for winning a title, it is going to take much more work and discipline in the coming years," continued White. "I hope they learned from this experience today and begin working on their weaknesses while simultaneously building their strengths."
 
Sacred Heart is idle on Thanksgiving Weekend and hosts its annual home meet, the SHU Tradition, on Sunday, Dec. 3, in the Pitt Center.