Newfield/Miller Place boys, Ward Melville girls win Suffolk fencing team titles
Marc Lindemann of Newfield clinches the county title against Arjun Airen of Half Hollow Hills in a foil match at the Suffolk fencing team championships at Centereach on Thursday. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Newfield/Miller Place’s Marc Lindemann leapt backward on the strip, knowing he was a touch away from winning the entire meet. And while his fencing mask covered his eyes and hid his emotion, it all came pouring out when he tagged that final touch to bring home another county title.
No. 2 Newfield/Miller Place boys fencing won, 14-8, over top-seeded Half Hollow Hills Thursday night at Centereach High School, sending the Wolverines to their fifth straight Long Island championship appearance. Ward Melville girls also defended its title, beating Newfield/Miller Place, 14-11.
That means seniors like Newfield/Miller Place’s Matt Cresser will leave the program as a county champion in each of his four years with the program. And if you were wondering if it ever gets old, he’s got an answer.
“Absolutely not!” Cresser yelled.
But how did they do it?b Let Lindemann explain.
“You’ve got to find a pathway to victory,” Lindemann said. “It’s almost like electoral politics. You have to find a map; you got to find where we can find our wins.”
Well, it was clear where those deciding wins came from Thursday. Cresser and Lindemann, along with a dominant Anders Dalberg, won all seven of their foil matches.
“We did simple actions,” Cresser said, “and it ended up making us county champions.”
It made all the difference when it came to beating Hills, which had just completed its first undefeated regular season in program history. Sabreist Saaim Imran set the tone early for the Wolverines, taking a 5-0 win over Austin Kim.
“Year by year we’ve seen people doubt us,” Imran said. “The best thing about this team is that whenever someone drops a bout, another person picks it up. It truly is incredible.”
Newfield/Miller Place’s Kevin Niu won both of his epee bouts, including a huge 5-4 win over Hills’ Jerry Lin. That well-rounded effort will be needed Feb. 11 against Nassau’s champion, which won’t be decided until Saturday afternoon.
Ward Melville will be joining the Wolverines after senior Eleanor Schneider grabbed the final touch in epee to give the Patriots back-to-back titles.
Eleanor Schneider of Ward Melville clinches the county title in an epee match at the Suffolk fencing team championships at Centereach on Thursday. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
“I’ve been on the team for four years, so it definitely felt like a full-circle moment,” Schneider said. “I think it’s just a collective example of how hard everyone’s worked this season.”
She had lost her two previous bouts but won her third when it mattered most.
“It was really stressful,” Schneider said. “I just needed to take a minute and breathe, so I can think and fence my bout the way I have done the entire season. So I could keep calm and do what I always do.”
Ward Melville senior Reese Birnstill continued to show why she’s among the best sabreists in Suffolk, winning all three of her bouts by a plus-10 differential.
“We’ve got more aggression, more energy, more power,” Birnstill said. “We get up on that strip and we’re ready to go.”
Meadow Dalberg went undefeated at 3-0 for a Newfield/Miller Place team that stayed competitive from start to finish. But the balanced talent across the Patriots’ lineup proved successful as they earned another trip to the Long Island championship.
“I’m ready for it,” Birnstill said. “A little nervous obviously, but I think we’re going to do great.”
