Great Neck South wins its first Long Island boys fencing championship; Commack takes girls crown

When Wilmund Wu got the final touch in Wednesday night’s Long Island boys fencing championship at Whitman he rather nonchalantly turned to his team.

His reserved nature didn’t last long.

Wu and his teammates erupted in a celebration years in the making as the Great Neck South boys fencing team defeated Commack, 14-6, to capture the program's first Long Island boys fencing championship.

"A few of these guys came in as seventh graders and I saw the potential in them," Great Neck South coach Josh Baravarian said. "When they became ninth graders I saw what the team could be four years from then."

After falling in the Nassau championship to Garden City in 2020, Great Neck South (11-1) captured the county title last season but there was no Long Island championship due to the COVID pandemic.

"Being the last bout and getting that final touch made me absolutely overjoyed," Wu said. "That parry 5 when it was 4-4 to win the match was the cleanest I’ve had all season."

Great Neck South won a come from behind thriller in the Nassau final last week against Syosset, giving them momentum they were able to carry into the match.

SEE PHOTOSPhotos: Long Island fencing team championships

"We felt like if we could beat them we could beat anyone," Samuel Lurvey said. "The fact that we were able to turn that match around it felt like we could win this one no matter what."

Lurvey finished 2-0 at epee, Jun Ahn, Drew Kim and Joshua Magidson each went 2-0 at foil and Andrew Choe also went 2-0 at epee.

"It was pretty surreal because I remember losing in the Nassau final to Garden City (in 2020) and for us to get not only a county title but a Long Island championship is a huge accomplishment," Choe said.

Commack (11-3) took a 2-0 lead before the foil group keyed a five-bout winning streak that put Great Neck South ahead for good.

"I am so happy that I got to end my senior year like this," Magidson said. "Finally after three years we got this chance and I’m just beyond happy."

On the girls side Commack capped an undefeated season by knocking off four-time defending Nassau champion Great Neck South, 14-10.

And there was nobody else that the team would have wanted on the strip to clinch the final bout than senior captain Melina Nicou.

"I give it all up to her," coach Jaclyn Sadiker said. "She’s been so important for us for the last six years and she’s only lost one bout the entire season."

Commack’s foil group was the strength of the team all season and it was no different Wednesday night. Nicou went 3-0, Angela Won went 3-0 and Anna Rohring went 2-1.

"Our foils have held our team strong all year long and to have them be able to take it home is so meaningful," Sadiker said.

Commack (15-0) won the last five bouts to win the title, with the foil group winning the last three.

"I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a tight knit weapon group," Nicou said. "We feed off each other and we know how to help each other and we work together really well. A lot of the team’s success comes from the confidence and skill of the foil team."

The win gave Commack the first girls fencing championship in Commack history, according to Sadiker.

"I knew this was my last year and my teammates carried me all the way up here," Nicou said, "so I had to do it for them."

By Gene Morris

gene.morris@newsday.comGeneMorris

Gene Morris joined Newsday's sports department in September 2012 and covers high school sports. He earned a journalism degree from Stony Brook University in 2010.