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Full Results:  Women's Foil  |  Women's Epee  |  Women's Sabre

DETROIT (11/23/2014) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's fencing squad opened the 2014-15 season Sunday at the Istvan Danosi Open, hosted annually by Wayne State University. The Titans had one medalist on the day as senior Katie Lang earned third place in the sabre competition.

Nine Detroit women's fencers competed in the individual competition against fencers from five other schools. Lang, in her final year of fencing at UDM, impressed by earning her first medal at the Danosi Open during her four-year career.

"Katie, she had a nice day," Dressell said. "On paper this wasn't a tough tournament for her in terms of the talent level, but she was a walk-on four years ago to try fencing and now she opens her last season as a medalist."

Lang went 3-1 in pool play and had a +10 indicator (16 touches scored against six touches received) to earn the No. 4 seed in the sabre entering direct elimination. She defeated teammate McKenna Brohl in the round of 16, 15-13, and then topped University of Michigan's Cat Buchanan in the quarterfinals, 15-12. In the semifinals, Lang went against top-seeded Julie Saint-Cricq of Wayne State, losing a close match to the eventual champion, 15-13.

Brohl, a sophomore, finished in 13th in the sabre for the Titans.

Five Detroit women's fencers competed in the foil, led by a seventh-place finish by sophomore Christina Powers. She went 3-3 in pool play and won her first direct elimination bout, 15-14, over Michigan State's Elyse Horak. Powers then fell to top-seeded Zuzanna Sobczak of Wayne State, who would go on to win the event.

Freshman Mianna Gonczar earned two victories in her first collegiate fencing competition in the foil, while senior Mary Colombo also earned a triumph in the foil. Gonczar and Colombo finished in 11th and 12th, respectively. Also competing in their first Danosi Opens were foilists Nicole Fitch and Lydia Hopson.

In the epee, junior Roby Wong earned three victories in pool play to earn the No. 10 seed. In direct elimination she feel to seventh-seeded Mami Sow of Michigan in the quarterfinals, 15-10, to finish in 12th place on the day. Senior Kaylah Berndt also competed in the epee for the Titans, placing 15th.

"All the new walk-ons did very well," Dressell said. "There's not too many sports in which you can bring in a newcomer and have them contribute right away. We've got a chance to do that in fencing which is very exciting. We had fencers that I think we can look to later in the season."

The UDM fencing teams are off competitively for the rest of 2014 and open the dual meet portion of their schedule on Jan. 17 at the Army Duals in West Point, N.Y.