As Valedictorian, soon-to-be UPenn Wharton School student, and president of Model UN, Hazel Siu is often referred to by her fellow students as an “academic weapon,” yet the only weapons Siu uses come in the form of the foil and epee.
Siu is known around the school for her great academic accomplishments, and her enormous accomplishments as Girls’ Fencing Captain often go overlooked. That said, Siu is a true scholar athlete, holding titles in her academic and athletic career.
Fencing is a sport that often goes under the radar at Waterford High School, despite the skill of the players and their impressive record year after year. Other winter sports, such as indoor track, basketball, and wrestling, receive more athlete of the week nominations and more shoutouts on the announcements, and more appreciation from students and staff.
However, Lancer Nation is among many student fan sections that lack in its support of the fencing team, primarily because it is a less widely known sport in general, Siu says. “If people gave it a chance, I believe they would discover that it is an engaging and skill-based sport.”
Both the girls and boys team took home the ECC Epee Championship last year, with the girls team also winning the ECC Foil Championship. For this season, Siu admits that the loss of last years’ senior members has affected the team, but she believes that the players have “adapted well and been able to recover for a great season.”
She notes that the upperclassmen have taken on lots of responsibility since the loss of their epee coach two seasons ago: “the upperclassmen have taken on the responsibility of running practices, drills, and teaching new fencers.”
Siu shares that fellow senior fencers Jiarou Liao and Charlie Morgan are among the players to look out for during the season. “Foil Captain Jiarou Liao has shown incredible consistency and growth with an impressive record of winning nearly 90% of her bouts so far.”
Siu adds, “Epee Captain Charlie Morgan has been equally successful, securing second place at the annual Winter Classic Tournament and being a key contributor in strengthening our epee team.” In Siu’s mind, other key fencers to watch for include Seniors Lauren Gerboth, Elizabeth Price, and Tyler Adams, Junior Hailey Fusconi, and Sophomore Mohsin Arshad.
With her numerous leadership positions, it often seems like it is in Siu’s nature to be a leader. Her older sister, Maple Siu, a 2024 WHS graduate and current Dartmouth College freshman, was also a captain last year, so Siu was able to watch her sister thrive in the position before stepping into the role herself.
As a leader, Siu attributes her greatest strengths to her extensive fencing experience. She has been fencing since before joining the WHS team and has competed in multiple USA tournaments.
She believes her experience makes her a better captain: “I make it a priority to uplift my teammates . . . through leading drills and providing constructive feedback.” Siu also takes pride in being an advocate for her teammates, and voicing concerns of the group, which she says “contributes to the positive culture of our fencing team.”
Siu recalls Senior Night, which took place on January 18th, as the most memorable moment of the season so far. “We have traditions for senior night, including walking under an arc made of our teammates’ blades and signing senior portraits for each other. All of our squads took home wins as well!”
The novice fencers on the team will soon be competing at the annual Inigo Montoya Novice Tournament, which Siu says will be an opportunity to see all of their hard work paying off. Siu says this particular tournament is a unique event where the team can “celebrate [the novice fencers’] progress and efforts.”
For the varsity team, Siu says they are hoping to win ECCs with “as many weapons as possible,” which would include foil and epee championships for both the men and women’s teams. “We are also hoping to have all five of our squads qualify for team states and place high there during March.”
Fencing is a team to look out for as this winter sports season progresses and hopefully for Siu and the other seniors, their season will continue looking bright. That said, Siu makes one final ask of Lancer Nation: “We have had a strong team for the past couple of years, and more support would only help it grow!”
