Under the shadows of the traditional high school sports landscape, fencing is carving out a niche in Western Pennsylvania, and a group of dedicated Fox Chapel athletes is leading the way.
The boys and girls fencing teams are looking to build off successful seasons in 2021-2022 in which both teams finished in the top 4 of the Pittsburgh Interscholastic Fencing Association (PIFA) playoffs. Led by captains Lawrence Liu and Stella Minturn, Fox Chapel is building up to a big season while keeping an eye on the future.
The boys team returns four starters from last year’s team that placed third in the PIFA playoffs after completing an undefeated regular season. Seniors Liu and Joseph Thomas, along with returning juniors Massimo Lagazzi and Emmett Gillespie, look to avenge last season’s close semifinal loss against Aquinas Academy and take the final step toward capturing a championship. This year’s team is boosted by the addition of sophomore Jin Zhang, who brings valuable experience from competing at the 2021-22 USA Summer Nationals in Minnesota.
Additionally, the team boasts strong depth and an established roster for the future as word-of-mouth information has generated more interest in the sport throughout the school. Liu, who has also compiled an impressive resume including being named a second-team All-American in 2021-22, stated, “I’m excited with all the new faces on the team. All the members are so enthusiastic to learn, and they are all so motivated.”
Similarly, the Fox Chapel girls team has broken onto the PIFA stage with several talented and dedicated players who will compose the core of the team for several years to come.
Sophomores Minturn and Gella Hample, along with junior Chloe Kim, return from last year’s team that outperformed expectations by compiling a 5-2 regular season record and qualifying for the PIFA semifinals.
Despite losing two starters from last year, the girls team is expected to hang tough with the strong neighboring programs from North Allegheny and Shady Side Academy in the upcoming season.
This year, an exciting development and boost to the team is a growth in roster size. Kim said that the arrival of new members has “given the whole team a lot of motivation to improve, as there are more people competing for limited starting positions.”
A key emphasis for the season ahead is team chemistry, as student leaders want to prepare their teammates for future years to ensure the success of the Fox Chapel program.
Gillespie commented, “The fencing team has a really good environment. We’ve all become pretty good friends and push each other to become better and better at fencing, which really helps to take the team toward success.”
In addition to building a strong team core, the team has experienced growing support from school faculty and classmates. Minturn noted that “Teachers have been very supportive and understanding of the commitment that fencing takes,” and that “classmates are usually interested because most do not know much about the sport.”
The teams will have a home meet that is open to the public on February 3 at Fox Chapel Area High School. Anyone interested in seeing fencing in action is encouraged to attend the meet, which will see Fox Chapel taking on Mt. Lebanon and Pine-Richland.
The teams are led by head coach Mark Hirsch and assistant coach Bill Fisher for the 2022-23 season. Hirsch takes over from last year’s interim head coach, Brendon Beatty, who brought experienced guidance from leading the Allderdice boys and girls teams to a combined 11 PIFA championships in 10 seasons. Hirsch also returns to the team with a wealth of experience, having previously held the head coaching position at Fox Chapel for a decade.
With experienced coaching and student leadership, the fencing program has high hopes and expectations for the year ahead. Liu laid out the goal for the year in simple terms: “Win a boys’ championship, and hopefully a girls’, too.”
