On March 4, and 5, the University of Minnesota Fencing Club brought a team of eight men and six women, to compete in the Midwest Fencing Conference (MFC) Championships at Notre Dame.
The team was lead by coach Cliff Iverson and assistant coach Missy Iverson. Both have been fencing for many years and were fencers on the team when it last went to the Championships eight years ago.
The competition had a team event on Saturday and an individual event on Sunday.
Saturday, the women’s foil team beat Purdue to place 10th. Sunday, three fencers made it into the final 16, direct elimination bouts. Those fencers were Justin Rasmussen for men’s foil, Rachel Covault for women’s foil, and David Manning for men’s Epee.
Minnesota impressed upon both the varsity and club teams that there is a growing fencing power in Minnesota.
“The University of Minnesota is an up-and-coming fencing team,” Northwestern coach Lawrence Shiller said.
It was just this year that Minnesota decided to reconnect with the MFC and change from individual competition back to team competition. Minnesota lost contact with the MFC when Wisconsin lost its fencing program.
This year, The Minnesota was allowed back on a trial basis for the MFC Championships and the West vs. West tournament last February. Next year, the team will be returning to the Championships with much more experience and plans on making the Minnesota Fencing team better known throughout the conference.
“Fencing as part of a team is a great experience, not only do I get the enjoyment of fencing but I get an entire team watching and cheering me on,” Minnesota’s Amy Larsen said.
— Submitted by club sports press release.