PHILADELPHIA – Several University of Pennsylvania men's and women's fencers made their presence known at the recently completed USFA Summer Nationals.
 
"Summer Nats" is the world's largest fencing tournament, with several events averaging more than 250 participants. The elite events over the ten-day event are those of Division 1; it is in this arena where points are acquired for the U.S. National and Olympic Teams and where three Penn athletes stepped up to put their mark on this year's event.
 
Penn's women's foil captain, Sabrina Cho, went 5-1 in the seeding pools to earn the #10 seed in a division that hosted 108 athletes. The rising senior then proceeded to fence strong competition in her six rounds of Direct Eliminations, placing her in the semifinal round in the Division 1 ladder. Cho finished the event with the bronze after falling 15-12 to gold medalist Carlotta Ferrari. Cho received All-America honors at this past season's NCAA Championships.
 
Rising junior Vivian Lu matched Cho's bronze medal in the Division 1 Women's saber event. Seeded 26th out of 118 fencers, Lu put on a strong showing in the Direct Eliminations to earn her top-four placement. Her third-place finish follows up on an All-America performance at the NCAA Championships.
 
Penn men's foilist Bryce Louie (who competed as a junior last year) is on a gap year to pursue his Olympic dreams. He helped his pursuit with a fifth-place finish. Louie went 5-1 in the seeding pools to earn the 13th. seed out of 154 competitors. Louie then marched his way to the top eight, putting on a spirited fight in each round. This event places Louie within reach of the Top 10 in National points and sets up a potential run to Paris in 2024.
 
Mid-August will find three Penn fencers at the upcoming World University Games being held in Chengdu, China. Women's epee will be represented by recent graduate Jessica Liang as she bookends her stellar collegiate career here as a Quaker. Men's foil will have Louie competing to sharpen his competition schedule for his 2024 dreams. Finally, Joseph Wu will represent Penn in men's epee, as the incoming freshman is ready to launch his collegiate fencing career for the Red and Blue.