Club Corner: Fencing team competes in NEIFC championships

Photos courtesy of Qiao Se Ong ’25.
Left: Mount Holyoke Fencing competed in the NEIFC championships on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Wellesley. Right: Sabreist Danyah Shaikh ’25, above, scored against Boston University at the NEIFC championship.

By Genevieve Zahner ’26

Staff Writer

Mount Holyoke Fencing competed in the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference Championship hosted by Wellesley College on Saturday, Feb. 25. The team competed in all three weapons, including épée, sabre and foil. 

“This was the first competition of this semester, and it was definitely a great way to start our spring season,” Co-Captain and Sabre Weapon Head Eli Gerbi ’25 said. “I know I was able to execute skills that I couldn’t last year and beat people I wouldn’t have been able to even a semester ago. I also saw some definite improvements in other members of my squad, and many of the errors that we had worked so hard to correct were minimal or nonexistent. Everyone was ‘fencing smart,’ and that alone is a huge thing that says so much about this ability to adapt, learn and stay confident on [the] strip.”

Gerbi spoke about the admirable performance of many team members who only learned to fence this year.

“We have a very young team right now. Around half of them only started fencing in the fall of 2022 or later, and have put in so much effort, time and work to get where they are today,” Gerbi said. “For some of them, this was their first tournament, and for most of them, it was only their second or third. The environment of a tournament can be hard to get used to, but they all did such a great job staying calm, adapting to other fencers and referees and supporting each other.”

Competing in the Senior Team Women’s Foil event, Mount Holyoke was represented by Halina Smolen ’26, Lauren Macias Severino ’25 and Catalina Dippel ’25. In the initial pool round, the foilists had 17 victories and 114 touches scored. Their performance led them to place 15th, beating the University of Rhode Island and the University of Massachusetts.

Mount Holyoke’s fencers competing in the Senior Team Women’s Épée event were Maya Frey ’23, Ruth Pelligrino ’24 and Rebecca Moberg ’26. The épéeists won 11 bouts and scored 109 touches in the pool round and went on to place 15th, winning against Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Boston University.

The Senior Team Women’s Sabre event was completed by Gerbi, Danyah Shaikh ’25 and Qiao Se Ong ’25. In pools, the sabreists won 20 bouts and scored 146 touches. They then placed 10th out of 17 teams, above Smith College and trailing Stony Brook University.

 “As a whole, both my squad and the team put up some really good performances and everyone came home with at least one bout they were proud of,” Gerbi said. “I am so proud of my team and my squad for what they did and have done this year.”

Club Corner: Introducing Ice Hockey and Fencing

Photos courtesy of Jenny Yu ’24 (left) and Anneke Craig ’22 (right).
Left: Mount Holyoke Club Ice Hockey plays at Fitzpatrick Ice Arena on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Right: Mount Holyoke Club Fencing welcomes interested new members to join the team this semester.

By Emily Tarinelli ’25

Sports Editor

Club Corner is a new biweekly column dedicated to highlighting Mount Holyoke College club sports. This week, Club Corner spotlighted Ice Hockey and Fencing.

Ice Hockey

Answers by Abby Mann ’24, captain

1. Describe ice hockey in three words. Fast, thrilling and fun.

2. What are the basics of ice hockey? It’s a contact sport in which players — on ice skates and wearing protective gear — use sticks to push a round, flat-sided “puck” on ice, trying to score points by getting the puck into the other team’s goal. Each team has five players and one goalkeeper on the ice at a time. It’s a total blast!

3. When and where do you practice? We practice in the Kendall [Sports & Dance Complex Field House] on Thursdays and at Fitzpatrick Ice Arena in Holyoke on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

4. What is your favorite team memory? My first game — we lost horribly, but no one cared. Everyone was joking and high-fiving the whole time. Even though we lost, I had a great time because no one made it about winning. We play every game that way and it’s awesome.

5. Tell me about your coach. Coach Tom [Cardosi] is all about creating an atmosphere where everyone feels safe and supported and has a good time. His “Rule One” is to always have fun, and he teaches the team to skate and play with that in mind. 

6. What’s the best part about ice hockey? Playing a sport on ice skates is so fun, and our team is full of fantastic people.

7. If you had to pick a song to describe ice hockey, what would it be? Jokingly, … “Livin[g] the Dream (Junior Hockey Anthem)” by Chucky Slick –– our team loves this song.

8. Who would ice hockey be perfect for? Anyone who wants a chance to get on the ice [and] try something new.

9. How can someone join the team? We have a website you can visit! It pops up first if you type “MHC club ice hockey” into the search bar. There, you can find information about how to join. Shoot an email to the captains if you’re interested.

10. Anything else to add? Our website also has our game schedule! Even if you’re not interested in joining, you can always come support us in the [fan] section at a home game in Holyoke. Also, follow us on Instagram @mhcicehockey and stay tuned for open skate events.

Fencing

Answers by Willow Gumpel-Jones ’24, captain 

1. Describe fencing in three words. En garde, prêt, allez.

2. What are the basics of fencing? Fencing is a combat sport [with] three different weapons that each have a distinct set of rules, target area and personality types [that] they attract. It’s modern-day sword fighting that’s all about technique and good form. 

3. When and where do you practice? Monday through Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m. in [Kendall Sports & Dance Complex] gym.

4. What is your favorite team memory? We play ultimate frisbee as a warmup every practice, and it gets so intense — it’s so awesome. 

5. Tell me about your coach. Our coach, [Dianna McMenamin], is really great with beginning fencers and getting them comfortable with the sport. She has so many fun stories — you should ask her to tell [you] some!

6. What’s the best part about fencing? Fencing is all about problem solving mixed with skills, so for me, learning your opponent’s patterns and tricking them into a hit is the most satisfying thing in the world. 

7. If you had to pick a song to describe fencing, what would it be? “Cut Self Not” by Faraquet. 

8. Who would fencing be perfect for? Fencing is perfect for those with attention to detail [and] anyone who is competitive and compassionate. … If holding a sword sounds fun to you, come check it out! 

9. How can someone join the team? Contact anyone on the board! We are so enthusiastic about inviting new people to the team. [Find] our posters around campus or visit our [team] Instagram page, [@mhc_fencing].

10. Anything else to add? If you haven’t heard it yet from absolutely every member of the team, you should join the fencing team!

Editor’s Note: Sophie Soloway ’23 and Jenny Yu ’24 are members of Mount Holyoke Ice Hockey.

Team of the Week: Mount Holyoke Fencing

Pictured above: Fencing Club Team Practice in Kendall Gym. Photo courtesy of Sophia Karr ‘21.

By Gigi Picard ’22

Sports Editor

This edition’s team of the week is Mount Holyoke Fencing.  

The fencing team is a sports club coached by Debra Basili with approximately 20 members, including team captains Eva Volckova ’22 and Morgan Sammut ’22. 

Volckova explained the difference between club sports teams and varsity teams. “For many varsity teams, players must have years of experience in order to even be on the team, but with club sports, we anticipate that most people who join our club will not have prior experience,” she said.

Over the course of the semester, the team meets around twice a week on Zoom, but only on the weekends. Volckova stated that on Saturdays, the team does a workout along with a “Just Dance” break. Then, on Sundays, the team does bonding activities consisting mainly of trivia, “Among Us,” skribbl.io and other online games. 

As stated by Volckova, the team is a tight-knit group. They stayed connected over the summer via group chat. They also had weekly trivia nights and consistent workouts multiple times a week. “Although we can’t fence each other, we spend a good portion of our workouts practicing footwork, which will put us in a great position once we are able to practice in person again,” Volckova said.

Sammut said, “Going to fencing practice is something that would always cheer me up on campus. Even when I was stressed with assignments, fencing practice was always a place where I could go and everything was suddenly better.” Volckova added that the team misses each other, feeling the loss of their “Yeah yoke” chants before tournaments and their post- tournament dinners together.