Alliance Fencing Academy takes home medals from Sweden and Portland, Oregon

THE WOODLANDS--While most of sports coverage in February was focused on the Winter Olympics, Alliance Fencing Academy fencers continued to accumulate team and individual medals in Gothenburg, Sweden and Portland Oregon.

At the beginning of February, Alliance fencers competed in the Vigor Challenge, the Junior World Cup. The matches were held, Feb. 1-2 at the Lundbystrands Sporthall in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Anna Van Brummen earned a gold medal in the Junior Women’s Epee division; Lewis Weiss earned a bronze medal in Junior Men’s Epee.

Van Brummen and Weiss qualify for the Junior/Cadet World Championships which are held this year in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, along with Gigi Vierheloler. This marks Van Brummen’s fourth straight time to compete in the World Championships, the second time for Weiss, and the first for Vierheller.

On February 14-17, Alliance Fencing Academy fencers again packed their bags and traveled to Portland, Oregon for the 2014 Junior Olympic Championships, competing among 1,500 fencers, ages 20 and under. The Junior Olympic Fencing Championships features the best Junior and Cadet fencers in the United States.

In team fencing competition at the Junior Olympics, Alliance Fencing Academy athletes took a gold, silver and bronze. The Junior Men’s Epee team of Anton Piskovatskov, Michael Popovici, Lewis Weiss and Matt Shlimak earned the gold. Gigi Vierheller, Madi Antekeier, Sonya Tkachman and Aly Ryf captured silver in Junior Team Women’s Epee, and Aidan Antekeier, Jonathan Piskovatskov, brothers, Nicolas and Sean Wilson earned the bronze medal.

In individual medal competition, Alliance fencers took home three silvers and two bronze medals. Earning silver were Anton Piskovatskov, Junior Men’s Epee; Ally Ryf, Junior Women’s Epee; and Gigi Vierheller, Cadet Women’s Epee.

T.J. Petrosewicz and Darius Zacharakis earned bronze in Cadet Men’s Epee.

The next major fencing tournament is the 2014 Junior and Cadet World Championships in April in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

Alliance Fencing Academy, International Fencing School fencers are led by 2016 U.S. Olympic coach Andrey Geva along with six other professional coaches. Alliance Fencing Academy has locations in Houston, 4141 Directors Row, Suite E, Houston, 77092, and in the Woodlands/Conroe at 27326 Robinson Road, Suite 110, Conroe, 77385.