Two Rye Country Day fencers fared remarkably well at the Horace Mann Invitational last weekend. Junior Captain Maddy Gallagher won the saber competition for the second year in a row — winning all nine of her matches — and sophomore Emma Chu placed third in girls’ foil.  

 

By Melanie Cane

 

Two Rye Country Day fencers fared remarkably well at the Horace Mann Invitational last weekend. Junior Captain Maddy Gallagher won the saber competition for the second year in a row — winning all nine of her matches — and sophomore Emma Chu placed third in girls’ foil.

 

The Wildcats’ fencing team is 5-2 overall and 2-2 in League play.

 

Gallagher, who will compete at the Junior Olympics in Baltimore February 15-18, has not lost a regular season match in two years. She’s been a member of Rye Country Day’s team for three years and has fenced since seventh grade when she began taking lessons at New Amsterdam Fencing Academy North in Port Chester. Once Gallagher became nationally competitive as a ninth grader, she switched to Manhattan Fencing Center, which has a strong saber program.

 

As a freshman, Gallagher received the Saber All Star Award and as a sophomore, she won a League award for being undefeated. She placed third among 92 fencers during summer Nationals saber competition in Anaheim, California.

 

She also placed near the top during national competition in Kentucky last month. What makes Gallagher’s performance even more phenomenal is she broke her foot at Nationals, yet continues to compete while undergoing physical therapy for chronic tendonitis and torn ligaments in her ankle.

 

“It can be pretty time-consuming to train in the city several times a week in addition to high school practice, but it’s really fun,” Gallagher said.

 

Chu, now 10-5, also competes with the Fencing Academy of Westchester.