On Sunday, March 15, 22 of the Morgan varsity fencing fencers woke up bright and early and ventured to Greenwich High School at 6:15 AM to compete in the State Individual Fencing Championships, where senior Lena Flaherty, junior Saoirse O’Beirn, and junior Hendrick Bausch took home medals and All-State Honors.

Flaherty, a member of the team and one of the 2025–2026 captains, took home a fifth-place medal and First Team All-State. Due to eligibility rules regarding club fencers not counting towards All-State honors, her finish secured Morgan’s only First Team All-State selection this season, since one of the top four was a club fencer, so Flaherty, being fifth, was awarded the honor.

“It feels really good, especially knowing that without my finish, Morgan would have gone without a First Team title this year,” Flaherty said. I felt like I was doing it more for the team than myself, especially in those final rounds. I wanted to keep pushing to see the success of my team.”

Having competed at the State Individual Tournament since her sophomore year at Morgan, Flaherty said she approached this year with both motivation and experience.

“Going into it, it felt like any other tournament, except I knew it was my last chance to really have an impact,” Flaherty said. “After finishing 12th last year, I made it my goal to finish in the top eight, which I did. That felt really good.”

As a senior captain, Flaherty said she hopes her journey shows the younger fencers what is possible when you have passion and dedication.

“I didn’t medal in my earlier years, and I felt defeated at times,” Flaherty continues, “but I think the reason I succeeded this year was because I had the passion. I didn’t only want it for myself, I wanted it for my team and to show everyone that it’s possible.”

O’Beirn also delivered a standout performance, finishing sixth in the state and setting herself up as a strong contender heading into her senior season.

She shared that her motivation came from both her own personal drive and the support of her teammates.

“I just thought about how much it would mean to me and everyone watching me,” O’Beirn said. “My mindset was really just, ‘Who wants this more?’ I wanted it more. I’d already come this far in the tournament and I just wanted to tough it out and finish strong.”

She also believes that experience played a major role in the success of the top finishers.

“I think a lot of the top finishers just have more experience than me, since many of them were seniors,” O’Beirn said. “They have skills and habits I noticed that I want to incorporate into my own fencing next season to help me get further in tournaments.”

In épée, where a double touch can play a crucial strategic role, O’Beirn said she used that rule to her advantage during close matches.

“In my table of 16 bout it was very tight early on,” O’Beirn said. “Once I built a lead, I started going for the double touches to

protect it and save energy.”

O’Beirn emphasized the mental focus required to compete in an environment as high-pressure as this.

“Sometimes everything just disappears when I’m fencing,” she said. “A big thing for me is listening to my coaches’ voices. I also talk to myself after touches and think about what adjustments I need to make.”

On the men’s side, Bausch fought through a difficult bracket to earn an eighth-place finish and a state medal.

According to head coach Jim Barnett, Bausch showed significant improvement between the pool rounds and the direct elimination rounds.

“In the direct eliminations, Hendrick was landing a higher percentage of his attacks,” Barnett said. “His point control was much better, and he did a good job varying his actions instead of relying on just one approach.”

Bausch said adapting his strategy was the key to his success.

“I knew the elimination rounds would require a different level of focus,” Bausch said. “I really tried to stay unpredictable and adjust to what my opponents were doing instead of forcing one style.”

He also credited the team environment for helping him stay composed throughout the long day of competition.

“Having my teammates there made a huge difference,” Bausch said. “Even though it’s an individual tournament, you still feel like your whole team is there.”

Barnett said that the team’s preparation in the weeks leading up to the tournament helped position the athletes for success.

“It is by design that our practices become more intense physically and mentally over the last four weeks of the season,” Barnett said. “Conference and state tournaments are long days that can wear you down, and we train our athletes to be ready for that.”

He described this year’s team identity in simple terms: “Focused and balanced. When one person wasn’t at their best, others stepped up.”

With one senior leader graduating and two medalists returning next season, Morgan fencing continues to build a strong foundation for the future. For Flaherty, leaving that legacy behind may be just as meaningful as the medal itself.

“I never thought I would be where I am today,” Flaherty said. “I just hope I showed my teammates what they’re capable of. All I wanted this season was metal, and now I have 5.”