Fencing pushes past obstacles in Kentucky

Members of the North Carolina fencing team arrived in Kentucky this past Friday, eager to put on strong performances at the 2014 North America Cup set to run through Monday afternoon.

There was just one problem. After the team had one flight delayed and missed another, they touched down in Louisville just five minutes before registration for the event was set to begin.

They rushed to the arena and made it there just before the registration window closed, narrowly avoiding an early and insufferable trip back to Chapel Hill. The delay left freshman Sara Moreno with only 15 minutes to prepare for her first bout in the Junior Women’s Epee.

“I was very flustered, and my brain was going everywhere,” Moreno said. “I had just gotten there, I still had to warm up … it was difficult to get my mind set and ready to fence.”

Moreno managed to remain calm enough to win her first bout though, and notched two more victories on the weekend en route to finishing 108th out of 180 competitors in her division. If anything, she believes the delay may have even helped her performance.

“When I’m late and stressed out, and all my adrenaline is going and blood is rushing, I guess I’m a bit more amped up,” she said. “I was stressed, but I was focused.”

As the North America Cup was an individual tournament and not a dual event, the North Carolina fencers were able to decide for themselves whether they were going to compete.

Moreno, sophomore Mason Erb and freshman Diana Philpot were the only three members of the team to make the trip to Louisville, while many others chose to remain in Chapel Hill to focus on their studies.

Philpot and Erb also had solid outings, finishing 19th out of 138 participants in the Junior Women’s Saber and 54th out of 203 in the Junior Men’s Saber, respectively.

“My primary goal was to finish in the top 32,” Philpot said. “I was able to stay level-headed and not let mistakes get me down or angry, and I think those are the main things that allowed me to achieve that goal.”

Despite the fact that she is only in her first year as a member of the North Carolina fencing team, and that there were more than 3,000 total athletes competing at the tournament, Philpot said she never felt a touch of uneasiness.

“I knew what I wanted, and I knew how to get it,” she said. “I wasn’t very nervous at all – nervousness just makes me not perform as well. I was confident.”

Though he said he wished more members of the team could have made the trip and competed, coach Ron Miller seemed pleased with the three who did.

“One of the main things that any athlete strives for is consistency,” he said. “Over the last month or so, all three of these athletes have shown consistent improvement and consistent additions to the repertoire of their game, and that’s really what we’re looking for in this part of the season.”

The Tar Heels will be heading to Columbus this weekend to compete in the Ohio State Dual Meets, and after her experiences in Louisville, Moreno says she’ll be prepared for whatever comes their way.

“Stuff happens, and you just have to get over it and stay focused,” she said. “You can’t let it bother you, because you can’t think about the past. You just have to keep going and do your best.”

sports@dailytarheel.com