John Lin Wins Saber Crown, Brunswick Team Takes Bronze at State Tourney
John Lin took home individual gold in saber competition at the 2019 Connecticut H.S. Fencing Association Championships, while the three-member Brunswick saber team finished in third place at the state team tournament, held at Guilford High School earlier this month.
In the individual competition, Lin rolled thru pool play with a perfect 6-0 record, scoring 30 touches against just four touches received. In other pool action, Brunswick teammate George Burke qualified for the tournament with a 4-2 mark, while fellow Bruin Zixun Luo did not advance out of pool play.
Lin, the top-seed in the 33-player tourney, followed an opening-round bye with a 15-4 win in the round of 32. In the round of 16, Lin faced Burke on the fencing strip. Burke, ranked 16th in the tournament, also received an opening-round bye. Burke posted a 15-9 win over the 17th seeded player to advance to battle Lin.
In the Brunswick showdown, Lin bested Burke to advance to the quarterfinals, 15-8.
After a 15-5 quarterfinal win over the #8 seed, Lin battled to a 15-14 victory in the semifinals over the fifth-seeded entrant.
In the title match, Lin dispatched the sixth-seeded player, 15-9 to win the championship.
At the CHSFA State Team Championship, the trio of Lin, Burke and Luo finished in third place in the saber. The fourth-seeded Bruins won their opening match against #5 Morgan School, 5-2. Following a 5-2 loss to the eventual champions from Guilford in the semifinals, Brunswick bounced back with a 5-3 victory over North Haven to earn third place overall.