February Tournament Update: TMFC Leads at the Junior Olympics

February 20, 2025 — TMFC leads the charge at the Junior Olympics securing multiple medals and setting new milestones for the club. We ranked as the top club on USA Fencing’s charts; 2025 is shaping up to be an amazing year for TMFC athletes during the competitive season!

Connor Chung poses with his medal at the Junior Olympics.

At the Junior Olympics: TMFC Dominates as #1 in the Country!

TMFC made a major statement at the Junior Olympics, where Brynnley took double GOLD in the Women’s Saber event, a historic achievement for the club. Ella joined her on the podium with GOLD for foil, marking an impressive performance for TMFC and Team USA. These results show that our fencers are not only competing at the highest level but also winning, consistently.

Connor Chung goes for gold with a lunge at his opponent.

Tim Morehouse ranks #1 with Fencers wining 3 Gold, 1 Silver, and 2 Bronze medals, 7 total.

Brynnley McKee wins Junior Women’s Saber and Ella Callise wins Junior Women’s foil at the Junior Olympics.

Junior Olympics: Saber Highlights

Our sabre fencers put in strong performances in Charlotte, N.C., with multiple medals and key personal bests:

• Brynnley McKee (PC/ ST), earned gold and is now the National Champion claiming the second National Title on Day 3 for Cadet Women’s Saber.

• Ethan Kim (PC/ ST) placed 8th in Division I Men’s Saber.

• Robert Wang (PC) secured Bronze at the Junior Men’s Saber event.

• Connor Chung (PC/ ES) earned Silver in the Cadet Men’s Saber event.

• Nazir Primus (ES) earned a medal in Cadet Men’s Saber with 6th place.

Philip Matsak with a Bronze medal in Cadet Men’s foil at the Junior Olympics posing with coaches from left to right, Essam, Slava, and Eddie.

Junior Olympics: Foil Highlights

TMFC’s foil squad, based out of our Port Chester location, also delivered outstanding performances, bringing home multiple medals:

• Ella Calise (PC), the junior women’s foil national champion, claimed her gold medal and not only was it a national title, but it was her first junior gold medal.

• Philip Matsak (PC) wins a Bronze medal in Cadet Men’s foil at the Junior Olympics.

With a historic Junior Olympics showing, TMFC’s 2025 is continuing strong. Congratulations to all our fencers and coaches!

January Tournament Recap: Big Wins For TMFC in Boston Junior World Cup and Capitol Clash SYC

February 3, 2025 — TMFC athletes kicked off 2025 with incredible performances on both the international and national stages, bringing home multiple medals and setting new milestones for the club. Our hope is to bring this positive energy into February for the Junior Olympics. Take a look at our January recap below to see a summary of what is possibly TMFC’s best month of the 2024-2025 competitive season!

McKee and Lauri pose with their medals from the Boston Junior World Cup.

Boston Junior World Cup: TMFC Dominates with Gold and Bronze!

TMFC made a major statement at the Boston Junior World Cup, where Brynnley took GOLD in the Junior Women’s Saber event, a historic achievement for the club. Keira joined her on the podium with BRONZE, marking an impressive double-medal performance for TMFC and Team USA. These results show that our fencers are not only competing at the highest level but also winning.

Yang presents her trophy from the Marathon Fleuret.

Other International News: Foil Gold in Paris!

Across the Atlantic, Iris Yang delivered an outstanding performance at the Marathon Fleuret 2025 in Paris, winning GOLD in U17 Women’s Foil in a pool of 131 fencers. This is a major international victory and a testament to her hard work and dedication. Congratulations, Iris!

Bennett Sabino is all-smiles after his Top 32 finish in Y12 Men’s Saber at Capitol Clash. Shoutout to Coach Sall, Coach Amer, and Coach Mostafa back home for the support!

Maluki’s TMFC crew rallies around her and Coach Tom after her triumphant win in Y10 Women’s Saber.

Capitol Clash SYC: Saber Highlights

Our sabre fencers put in strong performances in Washington, D.C., with multiple medals and key personal bests:

• Kinoti Kiara (PC) placed 11th in Cadet Men’s Saber, earning one of his best regional results and renewing his E rating.

• Miles Chambers (PC) and Charlotte Choi (UWS) both double-medaled in the Y14 and Y12 events of their respective categories.

• Bennett Sabino (UWS) secured his first Top 32 finish in Y12 at just 10 years old, showing great progress in a tough event.

• Akari Tomonari (UWS) was TMFC’s only fencer in Y8 Women’s Saber and fought her way to a Top 8 medal, with the older girls cheering her on.

• Royce Zhao (PC) earned a medal in Y14 Men’s Saber with 5th place, continuing his strong competitive form.

Ghedini with his Daniel Benson-McCarthy Sportsmanship award at Capitol Clash. The award is only given to 8 fencers across the entire weekend.

Capitol Clash SYC: Foil Highlights

TMFC’s foil squad, based out of our Port Chester location, also delivered outstanding performances, bringing home multiple medals:

• Owen Tardiff earned bronze in Y8 Men’s Foil.

• Luca Ghedini secured bronze in Cadet Men’s Foil, showing his strength at the regional level.

• Amabel Wang took bronze in Y14 Women’s Foil, with Savannah Li placing 7th in the same event.

• Lucas Lin had a strong showing in Y10 Men’s Foil with 8th place.

• A special congratulations to Kai De Castro and Luca Ghedini, who were both awarded the Daniel Benson-McCarthy Sportsmanship Award. This prestigious award is given to only eight fencers throughout the entire tournament and recognizes athletes who demonstrate exceptional respect, integrity, and sportsmanship on and off the strip.

With a historic Junior World Cup victory, an international gold medal in Paris, and strong regional performances across multiple weapons, TMFC’s 2025 is off to an incredible start. Congratulations to all our fencers and coaches!

Winter Camp News: Columbia Head Coach Michael Aufrichtig to Guest Coach and Host College Info Session

Columbia Head Coach is coming to TMFC’s Elite Winter Saber Camp

Exciting News!

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide our club members with top-tier resources and insights, we’re thrilled to announce that Columbia University’s Head Coach, Michael Aufrichtig, will be guest coaching and holding a college-info session on Saturday, Dec. 28, at the TMFC Elite Winter Saber Camp in Port Chester!

The special college-info session will take place from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm during the final hour of the Winter Elite Saber camp on Dec. 28, for all camp attendees and their parents. Additionally, this session will be open to all foil winter clinic attendees and their parents on that day.

To Register For the Camp: (CLICK HERE) (The next registration deadline is Nov. 15)
(We will email all attendees of the saber and foil camp an RSVP form the college info session in a few weeks)

For the saber Elite Camp day, Coach Aufrichtig will lead sessions focused on the tactics and strategies utilized by Columbia’s fencing team. He’ll share insights into preparing for and executing college meets, as well as provide an inside look at the practice routines and experiences of NCAA athletes.

During his college info session, Coach Aufrichtig will cover the following topics relevant to the NCAA college recruitment process:

1. Understanding the NCAA Recruitment Process: Key steps to navigating college recruitment and how to stand out.

2. What Columbia Looks for in Student-Athletes: Insights into the attributes and qualities Columbia values in its recruits.

3. Balancing Academics and Athletics: Tips on managing the rigorous demands of both academics and collegiate-level fencing.

4. Preparing for College Meets and Competitions: A look at how top collegiate teams train and prepare for high-stakes competition.

5. Life as an NCAA Athlete: The day-to-day experience, commitment, and rewards of being a student-athlete at Columbia.

He will also be available to answer questions from students and parents about college fencing, Columbia’s program, and the broader recruitment landscape.

To register for the Winter Elite Saber Camp, please visit: TMFC Elite Fencing Camps.

We hope you’ll join us for this unique opportunity to learn from one of the top coaches in NCAA fencing!

Coach Michael Aufrichtig Bio

About Michael Aufrichtig:
As one of the most knowledgeable and well-connected figures in fencing, in New York City and across the nation, Michael Aufrichtig is in his 14th year as the head men’s and women’s fencing coach at Columbia University.
 
After being named to his current position on June 28, 2011, Aufichtig has built Columbia Fencing into a national power. Since 2011, Aufrichtig has guided Columbia Fencing to three national team championships (2015, 2016, 2019), 14 total Ivy League team titles, including eight men’s titles and six women’s titles, and countless No. 1 national rankings on both the men’s and women’s sides. In addition, the Lions have claimed three NCAA fencing titles since 2015 and have finished no lower than third place at the NCAA Fencing championships since the 2014-15 season. On an individual scale, seven fencers have claimed individual national championships, 88 have earned All-America honors, 136 fencers out of a possible 156 spots have qualified for the NCAA Championships, seven have won Ivy League titles, and 102 earned All-Ivy League honorees.
 
This unprecedented success took Aufrichtig only four years to achieve as he guided Columbia Fencing to its first NCAA Championship in 22 years as the Lions claimed the 2015 team title. Then, the Lions won the NCAA title again in 2016, marking the first time the program attained back-to-back national championships since 1992 and 1993. Aufrichtig’s third national championship came three years later as the Lions turned in a dominant performance in 2019.
 
Aufrichtig has also restored Columbia’s dominance in Ivy League fencing. He has led the men’s team to six consecutive from 2014-19), while the women’s squad has claimed five championships including back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 and then three straight from 2018-20. The 2018-19 season marked the first time both the men's and women's squads won outright Ivy League Round Robin titles together since 2008.
 
Aufrichtig holds a career record of 566-120-1 (.825 winning percentage) in total dual fencing matches at Columbia. That mark currently ranks second among all-time fencing coaches at Columbia.
 
A four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year honoree (three-time women, one-time men) and recipient of the 2016 USA Fencing Coaches Association Varsity Coach of the Year award, Aufrichtig has also overseen the development and renovation of Columbia’s Fencing Room at Dodge Fitness Center. With the installation of first-of-its-kind shock-absorbent floors in October 2018, Columbia fencers enjoy a state-of-the-art fencing facility.
 
For the last 15 years, Aufrichtig has served as the Chairman of the New York Athletic Club Fencing program. As the Director of the NYAC Fencing Program, one of the most notable fencing organizations in the world, Aufrichtig manages the coaching staff, budgets, practice times, travel arrangements, and recruiting of the 55 athletes that compete with NYAC Fencing. He founded the NYAC Men's Epee High School Invitational in 2001, the strongest men's epee high school competition in the United States. He also served as the 2009 Women's Epee coach at the World Championships in Antalya, Turkey.
 
READ MORE ON THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY WEBSITE (CLICK HERE).

Winter Break Fencing Camps with Olympians in Foil, Epee and Saber in Westchester, Manhattan and Connecticut

This December Tim Morehouse Fencing Club has Winter Camps for both youth, teen and adult competitive fencers led by Olympians in Foil, Epee and Saber in its Manhattan, Westchester County and Connecticut locations.

You won’t want to miss these amazing training opportunities!

Register before Nov. 31 and save for all of our clinics!

Olympian Jason Pryor Winter Break Epee Camp in Connecticut!

Epee Olympian Jason Pryor will be leading our Elite Epee camp Dec. 26-30 in Stamford, Connecticut along with NCAA All-Americans, our Head Coach Ahmed Abdallah and in partnership with Rogue Fencing Club Coach and Vet World Team Member Sandra Marchant.

Register here: (Click Here)

Level up your competition. On January 1, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club will also be hosting the Jason Pryor Epee Cup! (Click Here TO Register For Tournament)

Olympians Eli Dershwitz and Ziad Elsissy will co-lead our Saber Camps in Manhattan and Westchester County!

This December, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club’s Winter Break camp is loaded. Two-time Olympian and #1 Fencer in the USA Eli Dershwitz will be co-leading the camp along with Olympian Ziad Elsissy. In addition, Hungarian National Team member Kata Várhelyi and several top-ranked Division 1 fencers including Leanne Singleton-Comfort will be participating along with the TMFC Elite Coaching staff. Join Olympic Silver Medalist Tim Morehouse, Coach Hamdy, Coach Maksim and more!

Register Here: (Click Here)

Test your newly acquired competition skills. On January 1, Tim Morehouse Fencing Club will also be hosting the Ziad Saber Cup Open:

(Click Here To Register For The Tournament)

Olympian Foil Clinic in Westchester County with Slava Grigoriev

Olympian Slava Grigoriev will be joined by Tim Morehouse Fencing Club’s elite coaching staff and some of the best fencers in the country for a clinic Dec. 27 - Dec. 30 at TMFC Port Chester.

Register Here: (Click Here)

Tim Morehouse Fencing Club is the premier fencing club in the area, offering fencing lessons, classes and camps in Manhattan, Westchester (Port Chester) and Connecticut (Stamford). With instruction available in saber, foil and epee fencing, TMFC has programs for all levels of experience and competition.