Westerville Central High School freshman Kelli Wozniak extended her reign as the state champion in women’s saber at the Ohio High School Fencing Championships in a tightly called bout on Saturday, March 29, at Royal Arts Fencing Academy in Columbus.
Wozniak was declared the winner over Dublin Scioto High School freshman Maya Szonn-Lillard, who fenced her way back from an 8-4 deficit to tie the bout at 13-13 before an unfortunate series of false starts ultimately decided the winner. The score moved to 14-14 on penalty points, then Wozniak was awarded the final, championship-deciding, 15th point when Szonn-Lillard was charged with another false start. Crowd noise was a contributing factor to the series of penalties.
This is Wozniak’s second state title in women’s saber, although she is only a freshman this year. Last year she was permitted to compete in the state championship as an eighth grader due to her advanced skill level and out-fenced all her competitors.
“We are so proud of both Kelli and Maya for making it to the championship bout this year,” said Stan Prilutsky, who coaches both girls at Columbus Fencing & Fitness, a performance fencing club based in Dublin. “This was not an easy field of competitors and they both performed brilliantly. Having the winner decided on a false start was frustrating, but they both handled the situation like champions.”
For a complete list of results, visit www.askfred.net and click on “Ohio High School Championships.” For more information about Columbus Fencing & Fitness, or to view video and photos of the student competitors, visit www.614fencing.com.