The Marian Catholic High School fencing team delivered commendable performances during the final five rounds of the Great Lakes High School Fencing Conference dual meets on Saturday, January 11.
According to the event details, hosted by Marian Catholic, schools from the south division—including Marian, Homewood-Flossmoor, Culver Academy, U High, and Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep—competed against north division teams: Stevenson High School, Catholic Memorial High School, Brookfield Academy, Libertyville/Vernon Hills High School, and Marian Central Catholic High School.
Both the men’s and women’s teams concluded the day with a 4-1 record. Their only defeat was against Stevenson. The men’s team secured victories in all matches except for their encounter with Stevenson. Meanwhile, the women’s team faced losses to both Stevenson and Libertyville.
A notable achievement for Marian came from the Women’s Epee team. They won all bouts either on strip or by forfeit, except for a narrow 3-6 loss to Stevenson. Four of these six losses were by close 5-4 margins.
The men’s team now holds a 9-5 record, an improvement over last season’s 6-8 mark. The women’s team stands at 7-7, up from last year’s 6-8 record.
The day also included the traditional Family Feud competition—a five-touch bout between Marian and Homewood-Flossmoor for possession of the Family Feud trophy. This year featured Men’s Epee fencers Nathan Brannon ’25 of Marian and Reese Butta of Homewood-Flossmoor. Brannon overcame a 4-2 deficit to tie in regulation before winning in sudden death overtime.
Looking ahead, Marian’s junior varsity fencers will compete at Marian Central Catholic High School for the Conference JV Championship on Saturday, January 18. This event will include first and second-year fencers from all 15 Conference schools. Several varsity fencers will accompany them as referees.
With the Teams Championship scheduled for February 1, the Marian Catholic fencing team is focused on further improvement and building upon this season’s progress.