Three members of the Pioneer Fencing team represented Western Reserve Academy this weekend at the prestigious Ohio State Open, one of the strongest fencing tournaments in the state. The event featured elite competitors from top collegiate programs including Ohio State, Wayne State, Miami University, Oberlin, Lawrence, UW–Madison, and several private clubs from across the region.
The day began with Tingyi (Lily) Zhu '27 competing in Women's Saber, a highly competitive field of 22 fencers—18 of whom held national ratings, including two A-rated athletes. Lily won two of her four pool bouts to earn the 11th seed heading into elimination rounds. She went on to defeat an opponent from Cleveland Fencing Academy (Beachwood, OH) before falling in the round of 16 to an A-rated fencer from Ohio State. Lily's impressive performance earned her a 12th-place finish in her first A-rated tournament of the year.
In the afternoon session, Chase Fortuna '27 and Alex Scott '26 took on a deep field of 47 competitors in Men's Épée, which included 15 A-rated fencers. Both athletes earned strong placements out of pools—Chase 26th and Alex 24th—after winning three of their six bouts apiece. In direct elimination, Alex defeated his first opponent from Miami University before falling to a nationally recruited Ohio State fencer from Hungary. Chase claimed his opening win against a Western Pennsylvania opponent before facing a top-seeded German recruit from Ohio State in the second round. Alex finished 23rd and Chase 24th overall—marking the best pool results in program history at this level of competition.
Coach Neil Mittal praised the team's performance, noting, "Our fencers went into the tournament with the goal of gaining experience, and they delivered some of their strongest fencing yet." The Pioneers' results placed them ahead of athletes from Cleveland State, Denison, and Miami University—a testament to their continued growth and competitive spirit.
Please join us in congratulating Lily, Chase, and Alex for their outstanding efforts and strong representation of WRA on the state stage.
