Cool, calm and collected.
These three words describe sophomore Charlotte Koenig’s performance at the Temple Open this weekend to a tee. After going undefeated in pool play and making quick work of her main draw matches, Koenig found herself in the women’s foil final in her first tournament this season.
The New York City native got off to a strong start against Long Island University’s Anna Szantay in the championship round, winning the first two points with relative ease. Szantay quickly found her footing though, responding to Koenig’s quick attacks with powerful jabs of her own. Halfway through the competitive bout, the two lunged simultaneously in a clash of swords that left both fencers adamant they landed the first hit.
The crucial point was initially awarded to Szantay, but was overturned in Koenig’s favor following review. Instead of letting out a loud cheer to her teammates gathered behind the piste, Koenig simply curled her fist and retook the en garde position.
The sophomore’s dominance was undeniable from that point forward, as Koenig demonstrated the same agility and control that led her to the NCAA Regionals title last season. After claiming four consecutive points to close out the bout, the All-American fencer raised yet another first to the air — composed even in her victory.
“She’s a confident fencer,” head coach Omar Elgeziry said. “It was a good reminder that she could dominate women’s foil in the region.”
The depth of the women’s team extends across disciplines, with graduate student Sky Miller placing second in her first meet as a Blue Devil. En route to her runner-up finish in saber, the Durham native defeated teammate and No. 1-seed Kunling Tong 15-12 in the quarterfinals before falling to North Carolina’s Sophia Kovacs in the gold medal match. Miller joins Duke with four seasons of competitive experience and 183 career victories from her time at Northwestern. Although a new addition, Miller has already proven to be a key player on her hometown team.
“Our women's saber squad is very strong and very competitive,” said Elgeziry. “[Miller] coming and putting her performance on the table the first week, and saying ‘I’m here and I belong to this strong squad,’ shows character.”
This weekend also saw the collegiate debut of several newly minted Blue Devils. Freshmen Owen Li and Ethan Boroditsky placed in the top-15 of men’s foil and men’s epee, respectively. It will likely take a few more weeks for this recruiting class to find its footing, but Duke fans can look forward to cheering on what will soon be championship-caliber men’s and women’s teams.
“Everybody is healthy, everybody is in shape. For me, that's a good relief because I know we're heading in the right direction,” said Elgeziry.
The men’s side of the tournament was led by graduate student Joshua Lo, who finished sixth in men’s saber. NCAA bronze medalist Allen Marakov also took home a sixth-place finish in men’s epee, and was followed by fellow Blue Devil Kozmo Rhyu in seventh.
“Overall, I think we had a good trip,” said Elgeziry. “We were organized, we showed up and we presented well.”
Next weekend, the Blue Devils will host rival North Carolina at home for the first time in recent Duke history. After falling to several Tar Heels at the Temple Open, the team is determined to come out on top this next time around.
“There were some good wins, there were some tough losses. I think it's good to prepare with that early competition,” Elgeziry said. “What I want for next week is just for us to stay focused and try not to make the same mistakes again.”
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