Senior Samantha Way has been working to join the fencing team at Cleveland State University, a Division 1 school in Ohio. The application process has been bumpy, as she has been applying to schools since her junior year. However, she plans to commit by the end of January.
Currently, Sam is a captain of The Morgan Fencing Team, which she joined her freshman year. Sam is also a part of the soccer and softball teams. She was the varsity soccer goalie for the past two Shoreline Championships, which brought trophies back to the school.
Although Sam is a three-sport athlete, she found fencing to be her passion. “I have a strong emotional connection to fencing. Whenever I’m upset, I just take it out in fencing. It’s like therapy.” She found support in teammates and coaches, who helped her to find the right school. They also guided her through the committing process.
Even though Sam started fencing on the women’s saber squad freshman year, she is now one of the best fencers the school has ever seen. She earned First-Team All-State in 2022 and 2023 for fencing and is seeking it again this season at individual states. Earning All-State as a sophomore and junior is something that most athletes don’t achieve in their senior year, so it prominently displays the level of skill and commitment she has to the sport. Along with this recognition, she gained 2023 First-Team All-Conference and academic All-Conference from the school system. Sam’s saber coach Alex Rauccio comments on her addition to the team.
“Sam brings an uncontested sense of leadership and commitment to The Morgan Fencing Team and her teammates that is very admirable.”
He has been working with Sam since her sophomore year and has been a significant part of helping her reach her full potential.
“Coaching Sam is a pleasure and it has been great to see her growth as an athlete and a person over the last few years.”
Outside of The Morgan Fencing Team, Sam participated in the Junior Olympics in early 2023, traveling to Colorado to fence other women’s saberists. She gained a lot from this experience, learning different skills from people across the nation, which she was able to bring back home to her team. Just recently, Sam earned her national rating for fencing, which is very uncommon for fencers her age. For those who are not familiar with the sport, a national rating gives you a letter grade that ranks you based on skill after competing and placing in competitions. All fencers automatically start at “U” for unrated, but strive to earn ratings from E through A.
Sam is ecstatic to be able to continue her fencing career at the collegiate level and is also excited to be in a medical program at Clevland State University. However, she is nervous about balancing fencing with her academics.
Sam gave some advice to student-athletes who would like to do Division 1 in a sport, “Start reaching out to schools the beginning of your junior year because they can reply back. it’s a long process, and you’re going to have to show your commitment to every school even if you don’t want to go there.”, She said even though she began the commitment process at the start of her junior year, she is still not officially committed, but she is on track to be. She is thrilled to start this new journey and have lots of bright opportunities in her future.
