Newsday's top boys and girls fencers for the 2024-25 season
(L-R) Om Thakur of Herricks, Marc Lindemann of Newfield and Remi Pai of Manhasset.
Newsday's annual list of the top 15 boys and top 15 girls fencers across Long Island, listed in alphabetical order, as the 2024-25 season continues. All stats listed are from last season unless otherwise noted.
Top 15 boys fencers
Justin Guo, Syosset, Foil, Jr.
Coach Robert Moon said he believes Guo could go undefeated this season, somehow improving on an impressive sophomore year (23-1). He's the highest returning foilist from the Brentwood Holiday Tournament after earning bronze.
Sean Haritonides, Whitman/Glenn, Sabre, Sr.
Coach Zachary Pietsch trains Haritonides year-round, with the senior being part of a strong sabre team that won the Alan Kuver Huntington Relays. Haritonides went 26-9.
Maks Janus, Wheatley/Roslyn, Sabre, Sr.
Coach Kenji Horiuchi described Janus as someone who’s “committed and willing to put in work." His 27-3 record certainly reflected that.
Dylan Kim, Great Neck South, Foil, Sr.
Kim enjoyed a strong finish, winning five of six bouts between the Nassau and Long Island championships. He went 19-5 last season and will look to lead Great Neck South to its fifth Long Island title since 2019.
(L-R) Luke Kugler of Oyster Bay, Sajan Shah of Syosset and Dylan Kim of Great Neck South.
Luke Kugler, Oyster Bay, Epee, Soph.
Kugler, a returning Newsday All-Long Island selection, capped off an impressive 21-1 freshman season with an epee gold medal at the Nassau individual tournament.
Charles Lee, Wheatley/Roslyn, Foil, Soph.
There’s a reason why Horiuchi is excited to watch his foil team this winter. Lee had a terrific freshman season, going 23-5 while earning silver at the Manhasset Invitational.
Brandon Lim, Syosset, Sabre, Jr.
Few fencers bring as much enthusiasm and gusto to the strip as Lim (19-4), who earned silver at the Nassau individuals.
Marc Lindemann, Newfield/Miller Place, Foil, Jr.
There’s not much more Lindemann can win for Newfield. The back-to-back Suffolk foil champion’s 36-1 record helped his team reach the Long Island championship for the fourth straight season.
Jason Morales, Whitman/Glenn, Sabre, Sr.
Pietsch praised the senior’s leadership and talent on the strip after Morales went 25-7 as a junior.
Charles Pedersen, Centereach/Longwood/Shoreham-Wading River, Foil, Sr.
Pedersen finished third in the Suffolk individual foil tournament as a sophomore, then took second as a junior. Should the trend continue, Pederson (30-3) could be in for his best winter season yet.
Trey Plastaras, Garden City, Foil, Sr.
The Sacred Heart commit went 27-3 and took silver at the Nassau individuals. Plastaras also placed fifth among 53 foilists in the Brentwood Holiday Tournament, with only one returning fencer finishing ahead of him.
Sajan Shah, Syosset, Sabre, Sr.
Shah’s quickness is only matched by his consistency. He went 17-1 while leading Syosset to a 10-0 record during the regular season.
Om Thakur, Herricks, Epee, Sr.
Thakur earned bronze at Nassau individuals after taking the gold medal with a 30-0 record a year prior.
Max Tse, Great Neck South, Epee, Fr.
Tse posted a 21-5 record as an eighth-grader while going 4-1 in Nassau and Long Island championship bouts. He won silver at the Nassau individuals and spent the summer winning gold at USA Fencing’s Summer Nationals over Commack graduate and reigning Suffolk epee champion Jeffrey Longstreet.
Jerry Wu, Half Hollow Hills, Epee, Soph.
Wu (30-5) was one of four Suffolk epeeists to win at least 85% of their matches. He grabbed bronze in the Brentwood Holiday Tournament, with coach Steven Ferrentello praising Wu’s “ability to strike quickly and fleche when you least expect it.”
Top 15 girls fencers
Shelly Banegas, Lindenhurst, Sabre, Jr.
With a silver medal at the county individual tournament, and an overall record of 27-9, Banegas should feel pretty good about her sophomore season. It’s a sentiment shared by coach Blake Heller, who described her as “arguably the top female sabre fencer.”
Sophie Chen, Newfield/Miller Place, Foil, Soph.
Chen burst onto the scene last season , winning 15 consecutive matches in the Suffolk Individual Tournament on the way to a gold medal. She posted a 29-3 record for an 8-5 squad.
Meadow Dalberg, Newfield/Miller Place, Foil, Sr.
Newfield has quite the foil team between Chen, Dalberg and senior Daiana Ramirez. Dalberg entered the season strong after going 25-2 last winter and placing only behind teammate Sophie Chen at the Suffolk individual tournament.
Nisa Eriskin, Commack, Epee, Sr.
Eriskin (30-4) grabbed bronze at the Suffolk epee individual tournament while being a key contributor to the Cougars’ trip to the Suffolk finals. Coach Jaclyn Sadiker lauded the senior’s “improvement and dedication to the sport.”
(L-R) Nisa Eriskin of Commack, Meadow Dalberg of Newfield and Justina Hom of Great Neck South.
Justina Hom, Great Neck South, Epee, Jr.
The final touch of the Nassau championship came courtesy of Hom’s epee, and that’s how most of her bouts usually end. She went 20-1 for an undefeated Great Neck South squad .
Alexa Lim, Syosset, Sabre, Jr.
The junior went 26-3 as part of a team that went 11-1 in the regular season. No Long Island program will find it's easy against this sabre team, which features a talented one-two punch along the strip with Lim and fellow junior Esha Nayak.
Victoria Lin, Half Hollow Hills, Epee/Foil, Sr.
Lin used to only dominate the strip in foil, but she's expanded her arsenal to be similarly impressive in epee . She placed second at Suffolk individuals after a fence-off in epee and finished with a 35-4 record.
Kiki Liu, Ward Melville/Port Jefferson/Rocky Point, Foil, Sr.
No Suffolk fencer had a better win-loss ratio than Liu, who went 37-2 and captured gold at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament. The reigning Newsday Fencer of the Year holds a 69-6 record over the last two seasons and led Ward Melville to a county title.
Esha Nayak, Syosset, Sabre, Jr.
Nayak takes center stage this winter after a 23-2 season, as Syosset looks to avenge its narrow loss in the Nassau championship match.
Ashley Nguyen, Great Neck South, Epee, Jr.
While Hom got the final touch in the county championship, it was Nguyen who did the same in the Long Island championships. She went 21-2 for a dominant epee team, one that coach Catie Sagevick praised for its ability to “shine under pressure."
Remi Pai, Manhasset, Epee, Sr.
Not only did she win gold at the Manhasset Invitational, but she also placed second at the Nassau Individuals and finished the season 25-2 . Alongside fellow standout Sophia Xenophontos, Manhasset’s epee team claimed silver at the Alan Kuver Huntington Relays.
Ashka Shah, Jericho, Foil, Jr.
A three-year varsity fencer, Shah went 25-3 last season. Coach Seth Skolnick said he expects Jericho to compete for a county title, and Shah will play a major role in making that a reality.
Scarlett Shelley, Oyster Bay, Sabre, Sr.
Shelley (25-5) took silver at the Nassau Individuals. She also won gold at the Manhasset Invitational. .
Gabriella Sherlock, Oyster Bay, Foil, Jr.
Sherlock won the county title in foil and finished 21-0 in the regular season. She also won gold at the Manhasset Invitational and silver at the Brentwood Holiday Tournament.
Brooke Tavera, Whitman, Foil, Sr.
Tavera (28-4) was one of five Suffolk foilists to win 85% of their bouts. Coach Jackie Addeo said she’s “looking forward to having one of our most cohesive seasons” , evident by Tavera and teammates Mackenzie Marsden and Alyssa Vozza spending countless hours practicing together in the offseason.
