Latest news from SANTIAGO, Chile – Over the span of last week two current and two former Lions of the Columbia fencing program helped Team USA excel at the Pan American Championships, the first 2016 Olympic qualifier for fencing. Athletes from more than 20 countries descended upon Santiago, Chile and the four athletes that have sported Columbia blue left with medals around their necks.

The first Lion to stand on the podium was Jeff Spear ’10CC. An undefeated pool play performance helped the sabre fencer to a first seed into the direct elimination tables. A bye in the table of 64 put the Wynantskill, New York, native up against Hector David Castro Linares in the round of 32. The Dominican was no match for Spear, as he cruised to a 15-5 victory, before taking down Cuban Noslen Cator Montalvo, 15-11. Coming off a 14-10 quarterfinal win against Venezuelan Jose Quintero, Spear would face Eli Derschwitz in the semifinals. Spear, who ranks 31st in the world, battled his American teammate who comes in at No. 21 in the world rankings. Spear and Derschwitz used every minute of allotted time in the bout, but it was Derschwitz that would advance to the title match with a 12-6 triumph.  

Following his bronze medal in the individual event, London Olympian Spear anchored the team of Peter Souders, Gabe Armijo and Jimmy Mood in the team event.

Seeded first in the direct elimination table, Team USA defeated Columbia, 45-24, after a bye into the quarterfinals. Although Mexico tied the semifinals at 37, Souders gave the Americans a two-touch lead before Spear held Mexico’s anchor Julian Ayala to just two touches in the final bout to seal the win for the red, white and blue, 45-40.

For all the glory, Team USA faced its neighbor to the north, Canada. Heading into the final bout Spear’s teammates gave him a 40-35 lead, thanks to a pivotal 5-1 win from Souders. Spear, who has anchored the Pan Ams team every year since 2013, outscored Joseph Polossifakis, 5-2, to lift Team USA to gold, 40-37.

The women’s foil individual competition featured two Columbia fencers in Nicole Ross ’13CC and graduating senior Nzingha Prescod. Ross and Prescod each faced close calls in the table of 16 with Ross holding off Mexico’s Nataly Michel, 15-11, and Prescod defeating Ana Beatriz Bulcao of Brazil, 15-13. The former Columbia teammates and London Olympians would create their 2014 quarters bout with a rematch in Chile, while Prescod won a year ago and went on to take bronze, this time Ross came out on top at 15-12. Prescod finished fifth overall.

In the semis, Ross and Colombian Saskia Loretta Van Erven Garcia leveled at 12. The Big Apple native adjusted, however, and rattled off three straight to win the bout, 15-12. It was an American-American final as Ross was opposite Lee Kiefer, who ranks third in the world and is the five-time defending Pan Am Champion. Kiefer held a 7-3 lead going into the last minute of the first period and took a seven-point lead into the break, 12-5. After trading touches, Ross went on a run with a series of flick to pull within one, 13-12. Kiefer regrouped however and scored the final two touches she needed to seal her sixth-straight Pan Am title.

After winning gold in the first five-team events and four of the six individual events at the Pan Ams, Team USA looked upon the women’s foil squad, who has never lost a title at the championships, to sweep the team competition.

Columbia junior Margaret Lu joined Kiefer, Prescod and Ross to form the top-seeded U.S. squad. The foursome cruised in its first two matches with wins of at least 25 touches over Aregntia, 45-19, and Venezuela, 45-20. The victories put Team USA into the gold medal final against Canada – a team it has fenced for gold at this event every year since 2008.

Canada heled a 7-5 margin after the first two bouts, but Kiefer went on a 10-3 run against Shannon Comerford in the third to put the U.S. up, 15-10. From there, the Americans never looked back and retained a 35-24 lead going into Prescod’s anchor bout against tow-time Junior World silver medalist Eleanor Harvey. Prescod outscored Harvey, 6-5, to secure Team USA’s top podium finish, 41-30.