FAIRFIELD, Conn. (December 6, 2023) – The Sacred Heart University women's fencing team held its annual home meet, the SHU Tradition, on Sunday in the Pitt Center. Valery Krylova (Shelton, Conn.) put together an 11-3 record on the day to lead the Pios, who scored wins over Vassar and NJIT to start the day, but ultimately finished 2-3.
 
SHU opened the day with a 19-8 win over Vassar, and followed up with a narrow, 14-13 victory over NJIT. The sabre squad went 8-1 against Vassar, including 3-0 from both Krylova and Alexandria Lovasi, while Jenna Jacinto (Dix Hills, N.Y.) went 3-0 in the foil. Sabre carried the day with an 8-1 mark against NJIT as well, as Krylova and Lovasi both swept again.
 
"The women had their strongest start of the year and were rewarded with wins over Vassar and NJIT," said head coach Khristopher White following the competition. "Considering they lost to Vassar only two weeks ago, it shows they learned from their mistakes and came ready to fence. Valery had a 3-0 performance and captain Jenna returned to the strip to inspire our first years with another 3-0. Brigid McMahon (Brick, N.J.) picked up a weapon for the first time two months ago and also posted two critical wins against Vassar, while constantly being supported by her weapon-mate, Nadia Gaberkorn (Marlboro, N.J.)."
 
From there, it was a struggle the rest of the day for the Pios, who fell to Temple (26-1), NYU (18-9) and Penn State (22-5) to close out the competition. In the end, Krylova was the only Pio to finish the day with a winning record, at 11-3.
 
"Later in the day, we faced some top-10 teams, and I have fencers who say their goal is to make it to NCAA Championships," continued White. "Many of the athletes they faced today have made that goal a reality for themselves, which means if you can beat them here, you are proving you have what it takes to qualify. Valery's 11-3 performance today shows she is making great progress towards her goal."
 
Sacred Heart is back in action on the other side of the semester break, on Saturday, Jan. 20, when they travel to the University of Pennsylvania for the Philadelphia Invitational.