What to Know about Lawrenceville Fencing

Fencing season at Lawrenceville is coming into the homestretch, and while Big Red fencing is one of the School’s largest athletic programs, the sport is unfamiliar to many. Here, Head Coach Anton Fleissner fills in some gaps for newcomers.

He describes fencing as a game of “physical chess,” explaining that fencers must think strategically while reacting quickly in real time. He was introduced to the sport in middle school after noticing that several of his friends were fencing and deciding to try it himself.

There are three weapons used in fencing: sabre, épée, and foil. Each weapon has its own rules, target areas, and scoring style. Sabre is the only slashing weapon and is the fastest of the three, targeting an opponent’s upper body. Both épée and foil rely on thrusting rather than slashing, but their target zones differ. In épée, the entire body is a valid target, while foil is limited to the front and back of the torso. Sabre and foil also use right-of-way rules to determine which fencer earns a point.

The Lawrenceville fencing team includes both experienced and beginner athletes. Fencers compete in one of the three weapons during meets, and team scoring is based on individual match results, known as bouts.

One interesting perspective that Fleissner mentioned was “on any given day, any fencer can beat any other fencer”. This makes the game, as Fleissner sees it, “as much of a mental game as anything else”.

Both the girls’ and boys’ squads are currently undefeated in dual meets. On January 18, the boys captured the program’s first Cetrulo Tournament title, led by a first-place finish in épée. At the highly competitive Santelli Tournament on January 17, the girls placed eighth overall, with foil earning the team’s strongest result in eighth.

With athletes competing across sabre, épée, and foil, Lawrenceville fencing brings together students of all experience levels in a fast-paced and strategic sport. As the season unfolds, the team aims to build skill, confidence, and a strong sense of community — one bout at a time.

There’s still time to see Big Red fencing in 2026 at home and on the road – check out the boys’ and girls’ schedules and full schedules on their respective webpages. State championships will be held on February 4, beginning at 9 a.m., at the Hun School of Princeton. 

For more information, contact Lisa M. Gillard H'17, director of public relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.