NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (November 4, 2024) – It was an eight-medal day for the Sacred Heart University men's fencing team on Saturday at the NEIFC Big One, hosted by Smith College. Chaissen Costello (Tiverton, R.I.) was the highlight, as he took silver in the foil, where he was joined on the podium by David Belluomo, who took bronze, while Jacob Bartel (Las Mesa, Calif.) and Gleb Syomichev (Westport, Conn.) earned medals for top-eight finishes as well. Declan McAdoo (Golden, Colo.) and Benjamin Fleckenstein (LaFayette, N.Y.) shared bronze medalist honors in the epee, while David Bailey (Coram, N.Y.) finished sixth to medal as well. Oliver Lindholm (Atlanta, Ga.) claimed bronze in the sabre.
 
SHU was at its best in the foil, where it produced four of the eight quarterfinalists and two of the four semifinalists among the nine fencers it entered into the 89-competitor field. Costello earned himself a bye to the round of 32 and then won four straight elimination bouts on his run to the final, where he was finally stopped by Andy Zhang of MIT, 15-5. Belluomo slipped past MIT's Tony Xiao, 15-14, in the round of 16 on his way to the semifinal, where he also ran into Zhang and suffered a 15-10 defeat. Bartel was a quarterfinalist and bowed out to Costello, 15-10. Syomichev also made a quarterfinal appearance, after a tight, 15-13 win over Vassar's Ethan Capra in the round of 32. With medals awarded to the top eight finishers, it was a four-medal outing for SHU in the foil.
 
In the epee, a pair of bronze medalists highlighted three Pioneers who advanced to the quarterfinals or later. McAdoo and Fleckenstein each received byes through to the round of 32 and then won three elimination matches apiece, before both were eliminated in semifinal action. David Bailey (Coram, N.Y.) took a 14-13 victory over Sean Quinlan of New Hampshire in the round of 16 to earn a quarterfinal appearance. Stephen Scapicchio (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) finished 10^th after squeaking past Harper Jamison of Vassar, 12-11, in the round of 32.
 
Lindholm rounded out Sacred Heart's impressive day in Northampton with a bronze medal in the sabre. He earned his medal with a hard-fought, 15-14 win over MIT's Alex Harris in the quarterfinal round, before bowing out in the semifinal. Four other Pios finished in the top 30 of the 76-fencer sabre field: Zander Wolmart in 19^th, Michael DiMatteo (Monroe, Conn.) in 22^nd, David Jin (Lynnfield, Mass.) in 25^th, and Jett Londell (Holmdel, N.J.) in 29^th.
 
SHU is back in action on Sunday, Nov. 10 at the Vassar Invitational.
 
Results
 
Senior Men's Foil
Chaissen Costello – 2^nd (of 89, silver medalist); advanced to final
David Belluomo – T-3^rd (bronze medalist); advanced to semifinal
Jacob Bartel – 6^th (medalist); advanced to quarterfinal
Gleb Syomichev – 7^th (medalist); advanced to quarterfinal
Giovanni Chessa – 19^th; advanced to round of 32
Alexander Ligos – 27^th; advanced to round of 32
Jake Amend – 37^th
Julian Matos – 40^th
Max Russo – T-61^st
 
Senior Men's Epee
Declan McAdoo – T-3^rd (of 92, bronze medalist); advanced to semifinal
Benjamin Fleckenstein – T-3^rd (bronze medalist); advanced to semifinal
David Bailey – 6^th (medalist); advanced to quarterfinal
Stephen Scapicchio – 10^th; advanced to round of 16
Damien Nguyen – 20^th; advanced to round of 32
Brennan Robins – T-22^nd; advanced to round of 32
Thomas Levchook – 27^th; advanced to round of 32
 
Senior Men's Sabre
Oliver Lindholm – T-3^rd (of 76, bronze medalist); advanced to semifinal
Zander Wolmart – 19^th; advanced to round of 32
Michael DiMatteo – 22^nd; advanced to round of 32
David Jin – 25^th; advanced to round of 32
Jett Londell – 29^th; advanced to round of 32
Joshua Sagastizado – 35^tt
Colin Johnson – 38^th
Max Cheung – 45^th