Nine Vikings named to all-conference fencing team

APPLETON, Wis. — Nine Lawrence University fencers have been named to the All-Midwest Fencing Conference team.

Four Lawrence fencers were named to the second team, and five more were given honorable mention.

Leading the way for the Vikings was men’s foil, which had three fencers honored. Freshman Alden Grasse (Milwaukee, Wis.) and sophomore Kai Kramer (Berkeley, Calif.) were both chosen for the second team, and Jacob Hodges (Englewood, Colo.) received honorable mention.

The foil squad grabbed second place the MFC Championships, and the trio of Grasse, Kramer and Hodges all placed at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Grasse took 10th, Kramer was 11th and Hodges placed 12th.

Two members of Lawrence’s sabre contingent, Joe Davis (St. Louis, Mo.) and Graham Jones (Indianapolis, Ind.), both earned second-team honors. Davis and Jones led Lawrence to the sabre title at the MFC Championships. Davis went on to finish sixth at the NCAA Midwest Regional, and Jones placed ninth at the regional.

The Lawrence men placed second overall at the MFC Championships.

On the women’s side, four fencers earned honorable mention. Nicole Mitchell (Gurnee, Ill.) and Lauren Phillips (Pylesville, Md.) of the epee squad and Rebecca Albrecht (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Natalie Hagopian (Madison, Wis.) from the foil team were all chosen.

Phillips was the top finisher among this group as she placed 10th at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Mitchell and Hagopian were both 13th at the regional and Albrecht took 15th.

Led by this group, the Lawrence women were fifth at the MFC Championships.