The University of Toronto Varsity Blues fencing teams saw a host of young talent gain valuable experience this past weekend (Nov. 5-6) at the RMC Invitational in Kingston, Ontario.

"It was great to see our first-year student-athletes respond to the pressures of university fencing," said team manager Fidelia Ho. "It was the first chance for many of our fencers to compete at the university level, and they did fantastically." 

One such standout was Shannon Blachar, a first-year celtic studies student, who held her own against the Queen's A team in the poule round. 

Also of note were men's epeeists Neil Kohlmann, a first-year international studies student, and Daniel Zhang, a first-year life sciences student. Bout after bout, match after match the pair showed a strength that will be exciting to watch as the season progresses.
 
Reviewing the top Varsity Blues placings, the women's foil and the men's sabre squads both finished fifth, while the women's sabre squad placed sixth and the women's epee squad ranked eighth.   
 
"This was a tournament where I wanted to see our fencers, particularly the younger ones, work together and grow into a new team cohesion; team spirit and experimentation were the key to future successes," said head coach Thomas Nguyen. "If they're going to grow as fencers, they need to be brave, they need to test their newer skills, and although it didn't pay off today, I'm confident it will down the road." 

The Varsity Blues fencing team is next back in action at the Brock University Open on November 19-20. 

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