The Mizzou Fencing Club hosted its first Mizzou Tiger Showdown since before the COVID-19 pandemic on Sunday, Nov. 2, drawing more than 45 participants to the Armory Sports & Recreation Center in Columbia. Fencers from across the country competed in foil and epee events during the day-long tournament, which ran from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m
“I mean, it's pretty good that we've determined our first quota since before Covid,” said club treasurer Jannis Buecking. “I think it’s very important for the club, a big milestone moving forward now that we have our U.S. Fencing membership.”
The tournament began with the foil competition, in which fencing took place in three pools at the same time. In pool one, Vice President Dylan Moulder and Risk Manager Miranda Edlin represented Mizzou. Both achieved two victories.
“I was scared at first, and then I won in my first pool fight,” Edlin said. “I think that helped me gain a little bit more confidence going into the rest.”
Club fencers Minna Arthurs and Daniel Hellman competed for Mizzou in the second pool. Arthurs recorded three victories while Hellman failed to win. In pool three, Buecking scored a win in his fourth match against Anthony Edwards of Buccaneer Blades Fencing.
“The last (practice) where I actually fenced was on Wednesday, and we did a lot of attacks and counterattacks in March,” Buecking said. “I think a lot of my counterattacks, like the epee fencing I had today, came from there.”
Seventeen fencers advanced to the direct elimination round after pool play. With the exception of Edlin, all Mizzou fencers were eliminated during this phase. She advanced to the eight-man table, where she lost 15-9 to Mesa Ehren, who is not part of the group.
The winner of the foil portion of the tournament was Lucas Brown of Buccaneer Blades Fencing, who received a D25. Along with Brown, Edlin finished 8th and Arthurs finished 9th overall.
Mizzou's epee squad competed in a six-pool competition, with club newcomer Jason Fu and coach Paul Vaughan putting on strong performances in club fencing.
“Something very interesting happens as you advance in fencing,” Fu said. “You start to relax more because you feel like you have the advantage, rather than because of the way the epee is designed.”
In pool one, Vaughan claimed four wins for the club, while Rebecca Winters failed to secure a win. In pool two, James Winkeler represented Mizzou and Buccaneer Blades Fencing, earning two wins in his last two games. Dylan Smith recorded three wins in pool three and Fu remained unbeaten in pool four with four straight wins. In pool five, trainer Emma Buckingham finished 3-0, while Tony Najjar picked up two wins in pool six.
“Paul is very good, but as a person he is very nice on the Strip,” Fu said. “He's very calm. He's a good physical education teacher who I really appreciate.”
After pool play, Fu and Vaughan advanced through tables 16 and 8, eventually reaching the semifinals. Buckingham and Winkeler also reached the round of 16, where they were eliminated. Fu and Vaughan both won their semifinal matches, setting up a final showdown against each other. Vaughan defeated Fu 15-10 to take first place.
“I like fencing (with) Paul and any tournament that always ends where it ends. Me and Paul, me and Josh and me and Emma,” Fu said.
Vaughan's win earned him a B25 rating, while Fu took second place with a C25 rating. Due to their remarkable achievements, the club is well-positioned for its next tournament at Washington University, which will take place on November 15th and 16th at the South Campus Gym.