Sullivan Fencing Champions
The 2014/15 fencing season came to a close in April 2015 with the last round of the Northern Ireland Junior Foil Series at Hunterhouse College in Belfast. The NIJFS is a series of 6 tournaments held by school and independent fencing clubs across N Ireland (including Sullivan) to find the country’s best junior fencers in U10, U12, U14 and U16 age groups.
This year Sullivan Upper produced two champions: year 11 pupil Emily Maginn in the U16s and year 8 fencer Anna Vaughan in the U12s. Both were clear winners, Anna winning in 5 out of the 6 rounds and Emily taking gold in 4 from the 6.
Emily Maginn Anna Vaughan
N Ireland U16 Foil Champion N Ireland U12 Foil Champion
Other Notable Sullivan Junior Performances
In the U12 Boys, year 8 Conn Finnegan competed in the first 4 rounds, taking a bronze medal in the 3rd round at Sullivan. Despite a foot injury preventing him taking part in the remaining rounds, he still finished 7th in the overall rankings.
The U14 age group saw strong performances throughout the year from year 9s Erin Maginn and Phoebe McPherson. Erin won 2 silvers and a bronze from the 6 rounds, while Phoebe won 4 bronzes, taking Erin to 4th overall and Phoebe to 5th.
The U16 Girls’ category was dominated by Sullivan fencers. While Emily took the overall win, the next 3 positions in the final rankings were all filled by Sullivan girls. Iona O’Neill finished 2nd overall, Ella Reid 3rd and Rachel Smyth 4th. Rachel bagged 4 bronze medals across the year, Iona 3 silvers and a bronze, while Ella won a silver, a bronze and then won gold at the last round.
Sullivan Fencers in Senior Competition
In parallel to junior competition, Sullivan fencers have also begun to make their mark in senior (adult) fencing. This year Emily won a bronze medal at the N Ireland Open and finished 7th at the Irish Open in Dublin. At the Belfast Open in March, Emily finished 3rd and Ella 7th.
David White
SUFC Coach
13 May 2015