Great Neck South's Mandy Li, Oyster Bay's Rachel Kowalsky repeat as champs; Jovana Lau wins for Herricks

Mandy Li and Rachel Kowalsky proved to all in attendance on Saturday what many already knew: Nobody is beating them.

Oyster Bay’s Kowalsky won her second straight Nassau title in epee, and Great Neck South’s Li won her second straight Nassau title in foil at the girls individual fencing championships at Manhasset High School. Jovana Lau introduced herself as the sabre champion, winning for Herricks in that school’s first year as a varsity program.

The sixth-seeded Lau defeated the third seed in a quarterfinal, the second seed in a semifinal and beat top-seeded Connie Too of Great Neck South, 15-14, in the championship.

Winning the county title is a great feat, but defending it might be harder, and that’s what Li and Kowalsky found out. Aside from an uptick in practice time in the offseason, defending the title boils to consistently being able to find an edge over each opponent.

“I make sure I am always focused and ready in the beginning of a bout and fence every point like it’s the most important point of the bout,” Li said after defeating Oyster Bay’s Anna Silver in the final. “Treat every point the same . . . Every point matters; and every point my opponent gets matters.”

Kowalsky admittedly felt the pressure of being the defending champion and the No. 1 seed on Saturday. But her strategy and attention to detail outweighed all emotions.

“I test them out and see how they react to what I do,” Kowalsky said. “And sometimes once they get a touch on me and I realize that’s what they want to do . . . That’s when I really start to go and get all my touches.”

And although it’s the individual championship and she hasn’t lost a bout in her two years on varsity, Li knows she wouldn’t be in this position alone.

“When my teammates are cheering me up and I feel the more people that have my back,” Li said, “It makes me feel braver against my opponents.”