2025 Year In Review

2025 was a defining year for Space City Fencing Academy.

What began as steady momentum quickly turned into measurable achievement. Our fencers stepped onto larger stages, earned higher rankings, secured national podium finishes, represented internationally, and committed to outstanding colleges and universities.

These results were not built on a single breakthrough moment. They were built on daily discipline, focused training, resilience in competition, and a culture that continues to raise the standard for fencing in Texas and beyond.

Every medal reflects preparation.
Every ranking represents consistency.
Every college commitment tells the story of long-term development.

Below is a look back at the milestones and athletes who shaped our 2025 season.

Regional Success

The 2024–2025 regional season was historic for Space City Fencing Academy.

Across combined regional competitions, our athletes earned 309 total podium finishes, with 57 individual fencers reaching the podium — 35 men/boys and 22 women/girls.

Medal Breakdown

🥇 58 Gold Medals	🥈 49 Silver Medals
33 men/boys	21 men/boys
25 women/girls	28 women/girls

These results reflect both depth and consistency across age groups and competitive divisions.

Women’s Standout Performances

The ladies delivered an exceptional season, led by:

• Evelyn Watson – 11 gold medals, 22 podium finishes
• Naila Nwodo – 5 gold medals, 21 podium finishes
• Genevieve Goita – 16 podium finishes
• Lola Brown – 4 gold medals, 13 podium finishes

Men’s Standout Performances

The gentlemen matched that intensity with strong performances of their own:

• Caden Nuckles – 3 gold medals, 15 podium finishes
• Lam Kirin – 2 gold medals, 12 podium finishes
• Zain Elkowsky – 6 gold medals, 10 podium finishes

National Recognition

Space City concluded the 2024–2025 regional season as the #1 Foil-only club in the nation, with fencers earning 18 Top-3 Regional Patches awarded by USA Fencing.

This distinction reflects not only individual excellence, but the collective strength and depth of the program.

National Success

USA National Championships – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The pinnacle of the domestic season brought major hardware:

• Benjamin Clark – 🥇 Gold Medal, Men’s Division II National Champion
• Emma Griffin – 🥈 Silver Medal, Women’s Division I-A
• Christopher Dia – 🥉 Bronze Medal, Men’s Division III
• Senior Team – 6th Place Finish (Ahmed Rosowsky, Austin Barrett, Matthew Majia)

Earning a national title and multiple podium finishes at the highest domestic event reflects the competitive maturity of the program.

North American Cups (NAC)

At the North American Cup circuit:

Lola Brown

🥈 Silver Medal – Women’s Cadet Team, November NAC (Fort Worth, TX)

🥉 Bronze Medal – Women’s Y14, November NAC

Rachel El-Saleh

7th Place – Women’s VET70, April NAC (Los Angeles, CA)

Super Youth Circuit (SYC)

Space City’s younger athletes continued to demonstrate national depth across the Super Youth Circuit series:

Lola Brown

• 🥇 Gold – Women’s Cadet, Fairfax Challenge (Fredericksburg, VA)
• 🥈 Silver – Women’s Y14, Duel in the Desert (Las Vegas, NV)
• 🥈 Silver – Women’s Cadet, AFM Super Regional (Santa Clara, CA)
• 🥉 Bronze – Women’s Y14, AFM Super Regional
• 🥉 Bronze – Women’s Y14, Fairfax Challenge
• 🥉 Bronze – Women’s Cadet, Austin Challenge (Austin, TX)

Evelyn Watson

• 🥈 Silver – Women’s Cadet, North Texas Roundup (Dallas, TX)
• 🥉 Bronze – Women’s Cadet, Motor City (Waterford, MI)
• 🥉 Bronze – Women’s Y14, Cascade Clash (Tigard, OR)

Zain Elkowsky

• 🥇 Gold – Men’s Y14, Motor City (Waterford, MI)

George Jin

• 🥈 Silver – Men’s Y10, Fairfax Challenge
• 🥉 Bronze – Men’s Y10, Motor City

Baylin Brod

• 🥉 Bronze – Men’s Y8, Fairfax Challenge

From youth divisions to senior national championships, Space City athletes demonstrated competitive depth across every level of the domestic circuit in 2025.

From dominating regional circuits to earning national titles, Space City fencers proved their strength across the United States.

In 2025, that momentum extended beyond national borders, as our athletes stepped onto the international stage to compete against the world’s best.

International Success

In 2025, Space City athletes represented their nations across multiple continents, competing at World Championships, continental championships, World Cups, and international Olympic-level events.

These performances reflect not only technical skill, but the composure required to succeed against the world’s best.

Mohamad Hamza

• 🥇 Gold Medal – African Championships (Team)
• 🥇 Gold Medal – Coupe d’Europe (Team), Heidenheim, Germany
• 🥈 Silver Medal – African Championships (Men’s Individual), Lagos, Nigeria
• 6th Place – Senior World Championships, Tbilisi, Georgia

Malak Hamza

• 🥉 Bronze Medal – African Championships (Women’s Individual), Lagos, Nigeria
• 🥇 Gold Medal – African Championships (Team)

Rachel El-Saleh

• 🥉 Bronze Medal – Pan American Championships, Lima, Peru

Mafer Montero

• 🥇 Gold Medal – Women’s Cadet, Mexico National Olympics, Yucatán, Mexico
• 🥉 Bronze Medal – Women’s Cadet Team

Evelyn Watson

• Represented the United States at her first Cadet World Cup, finishing in the Top 32, Istanbul, Turkey

In 2025, Space City fencers did not simply compete internationally, they contended for medals, stood on podiums, and earned respect on the global stage. Well Done.

College Highlights

In 2025, Space City fencers continued to demonstrate that excellence in fencing and academics go hand in hand. From new college commitments to national championship seasons and distinguished alumni achievements, our athletes represented the academy at some of the most respected universities in the country.

🎓 Off to College

Matthew Maja
Graduated from Strake Jesuit in the spring and enrolled at University of Notre Dame in the fall. While he will not compete on the Notre Dame fencing team, his development at Space City helped prepare him for success at one of the nation’s premier academic institutions.

🎓 College Graduations

Katina Proestakis Ortiz (Olympian – Tokyo)
Competed for four years at University of Pennsylvania, compiling a career record of 135–65 and helping the team win the 2024 Ivy League Championship. Graduated from the Wharton School with a degree in Economics, Finance & Operations.

Janna Aboudaher
Fenced at University of California San Diego, earning her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. She has begun her Master’s in Mechanical Engineering at UCSD and was a five-time Academic All-American.

Angelina Lee
Earned dual B.S. degrees in Civil Engineering and Architectural Design from Stanford University. She is now pursuing a Master’s in Structural Engineering at Stanford.

Amelia Schappert
After a successful fencing career at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Amelia graduated in 2025 with degrees in Biology and Computer Science. She is now pursuing her Ph.D. in Computational Biology at Princeton University.

🎓 College Continues

Emma Griffin
Completed a standout freshman season at University of Notre Dame, posting records of 36–8 (foil), 10–5 (epee), and 3–0 (saber) for a team that captured the NCAA Championship. She also earned a Silver Medal in Division I-A at the USA National Championships.

Malak Hamza (Olympian – Paris)
Completed her freshman year and began her sophomore season at University of Pennsylvania. Internationally, she earned both Gold and Bronze Medals at the African Championships in 2025.

Elizabeth He
Completed her junior year and began her senior season competing for Princeton University.

Farr Dickson
Completed his junior year at New York University, bringing his three-year record to 92–52. As a freshman, he was named USFCA Division III Foil Athlete of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, and has earned both First- and Second-Team All-American honors (Division III).

Laith Elkousy
Finished a successful freshman season at Duke University, placing 10th at the ACC Championships and earning All-ACC Academic Team honors.

Omar Reyes
Completed his freshman season at Johns Hopkins University, finishing 60–35 across all competitions.

Meeah Bradford
Continues her studies in veterinary science at Cornell University and is no longer competing on the fencing team.

Jenna Baly
Continues to make her mark at the collegiate level. Now competing for the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Jenna has been named Second Team All-Conference by the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

This honor comes after an impressive performance at the Conference Championships, where Jenna advanced all the way to the semi-finals, showcasing her skill, determination, and competitive spirit.

Jenna’s continued success is a testament to her hard work and dedication, and the entire Space City community is thrilled to see her thriving on the collegiate stage.

🎓 College Alumni

Amy Jia
A graduate of Northwestern University, Amy continues to compete nationally, placing 24th in Division I-A at the 2025 USA National Championships.

John Griffin
After graduating from University of Notre Dame, John returned to Space City and enjoyed a strong 2025 season — winning three tournaments, earning six podium finishes, and securing his A25 ranking.

Muhamad Hamza (Olympian – Rio, Tokyo, Paris)
A graduate of Princeton University, Muhamad continues to compete internationally, finishing 6th at the 2025 World Championships.

Evin Heintz
A graduate of Vassar College, Evin returned to the Houston area, where he coaches saber and continues competing — winning two regional tournaments in 2025 and earning his B25 ranking.

National Ratings Earned

In 2025, Space City fencers continued to demonstrate measurable competitive progress, earning new and renewed national ratings across all age groups.

USA Fencing ratings (A–E) reflect competitive results at sanctioned tournaments, with “A” representing the highest classification. This year, Space City athletes earned or renewed 29 national ratings, spanning youth, senior, and veteran divisions.

🥇 A25 Ratings

• Lola Brown (2011)
• John O. Griffin (2003)
• Brian Kim (2008)

🥈 B25 Ratings

• Borna Andric (2007)
• Benjamin Clark (2008)
• Zain al Din Elkousy (2010)
• Matthew Mejia (2007)
• Jay Raj (2009)

🥉 C25 Ratings

• Austin Barrett (2007)
• Christopher Dai (2008)
• Caden Nuckles (2010)
• Evelyn Watson (2011)
• Zhihe Yuan (2011)

⭐ D25 Rating

• Naila Nwodo (2012)

⭐ E25 Ratings

• Nola Chang (2007)
• Aiden Chiang (2011)
• Morgan Cole (1982)
• Calvin Dai (2011)
• Maximillian Francis (2009)
• Sebastian Francis (2011)
• Genevieve Goitia (2012)
• Peyton Ho (2013)
• Xuechong Daniel Jin (2012)
• Kirin Lam (2011)
• Evan Lin (2010)
• Aldo F. Precciozzi (1956)
• Reagan Tornberg (2011)

From youth competitors to veteran athletes, the breadth of ratings earned in 2025 reflects the depth, development pathway, and competitive consistency of the Space City program.

The achievements of 2025 reflect more than medals and rankings, they reflect a culture built on discipline, accountability, and long-term development.

At every level, youth, collegiate, senior, and international, Space City athletes represented the academy with composure and competitive excellence. As we look ahead to 2026, we remain committed to developing not only stronger fencers, but stronger competitors and leaders.

The foundation is set. The standard is clear.