Led by a select group of five Violets, the NYU fencing team finished 13th in a field of 24 at the NCAA Championships in Raleigh, NC this weekend.

With two participants in both the saber and foil competitions and one more in epee, the Violets were able to do enough to finish the week with 44 total points, well behind Columbia University, who successfully defended its championship with 174 points.

The team’s best performances came from Grant Williams and Hanz Engel, who both finished 17th in their respective saber and epee competitions. Mikolaj Bak joined Williams in Saber, finishing closely behind him for an 18th place finish.

In foil, Daniel Sconzo led the way, finishing 19th place. Philip Shin, the Violets’ other foil competitor, finished in 21st. Competing at the NCAA Championships for the first time, Shin felt accomplished after getting back in shape following his semester studying abroad.

“I definitely had some great bouts, but there were also others that could’ve been better,” Shin said. “I would say my teammates felt the same way.”

Now that the season has come to an end, the Violets will say goodbye to a number of fencers. Eleven seniors will be departing from the program this year. On the men’s team, Evan Accardi, Mir Ali, Jon Chen, Jonathan Chua and Igor Kuzovkin have fenced for the final time for NYU. Likewise, Ruby Kam, Katelyn Lee, Stephanie Lo, Krista Loven, Kelly Morris and Emily Wu have finished their time on the women’s squad.

However, the team will have plenty potential next fall. Every participant from this year’s NCAA Championships is scheduled to return next season, in addition to a freshman class that hopefully will make an immediate impact. For Violets like Shin, there’s no place to go but up in the program.

“Overall, a great learning experience and I hope to compete at the event next year,” Shin said.

A version of this article appeared in the March 28 print edition. Email Michael Thompson at [email protected].