WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis University fencer Maggie Shealy '23 of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, has been impressive this off-season fencing at the North American Cup competition in Richmond, Virginia.
In May, competing in the Division I women's sabre competition, Shealy earned a 5-2 win over Francesca Russo in pool play. Russo is a two-time NCAA Champion, in 2015 and 2017, and will represent the United States at the Tokyo Olympics later this summer.
In June's competition, held on June 6, Shealy competed in the junior women's sabre division. Seeded 33rd, she went 5-1 in pool play by defeating opponents from Colorado, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon. Shealy earned the 19th seed in the direct elimination tournament, where she won her first three matches, 15-11, 15-9 and 15-4 to reach the round of 16. In that match, she came from 12-14 down to defeat Sophia Kovacs of New Jersey, 15-14, before falling, 14-15, to Alexandra Lee of California. Despite losing in the quarterfinals, Shealy was able to improve her skill to an 'A' classification, the highest rating from USAFencing.
"This is a tremendous accomplishment," said Brandeis head coach Jennie Salmon. "These results are a testament to Maggie's hard work in a year when she was unable to have any real head-to-head competition. I look forward to seeing what the future can bring."
Shealy will be competing at the Summer National Championships in July in Philadelphia before returning to campus in the fall. In her off-season competition, Shealy has been representing the Boston Fencing Club under the coaching of Brandeis assistant Matt Zich.