Chaminade Fencing Brings Home Two State Titles

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Chaminade News

By David Wharton P’19

In a performance that was nothing short of convincing, Chaminade swept the men’s and women’s overall titles at the 2019 California high school fencing championships.

The Eagles outpaced 62 other schools from across the state by taking four of six events, with the women finishing first in epee and the men winning foil, epee, and saber.

Though senior Emmanuelle Cola earned an individual bronze in women’s epee, Chaminade’s success is owed primarily to depth with a handful of fencers – including Ian Ngo ’19, Lance Fortner ’20, and Adam Catlin ’21 – earning Top 10 finishes during a full day of competition in their home gym. Other team members contributing points were Zachary Wharton ’19, John Conroy ’19, Sean-Paul Marx ’20, Marc Ghotanian ’22, Jaemin Choi ’22, Emily Brown ’19, Charlotte Weller ’19 and Mary Alexa Cantalejo ’21.

The accumulation of solid performances pushed Coach Derek Snyder’s squad well past rivals Harvard-Westlake and Brentwood. For the men, this marks the second-consecutive overall championship. The women improved after finishing just behind Harvard-Westlake last year.

Chaminade has won more state titles in fencing than in any other sport. The program was originally guided to prominence by Fr. Larry Calhoun, a renowned name in the sport, and over its many years has produced numerous standouts who later competed at the college and international level.

Center for Excellence Registration is Open

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Chaminade News

Registration for Chaminade College Preparatory’s Center for Excellence (CCE) is now open. It is the perfect place for students to spend their summer learning and growing. With classes in the morning and afternoon, CCE offers programs, for students entering grades 1-12, designed to inspire, engage, and empower young minds.

Students entering grades 1 through 12 will enjoy expanding their horizons through the Center for Excellence summer programming. For students entering Chaminade’s 6^th grade, Eagles Take Flight will prepare them academically and introduce them to Chaminade’s middle school community; while students entering high school grades can acquire valuable skills in High School Study and Success Skills, and students entering 12^th grade can prepare for college applications in the College Application Bootcamp. CCE also offers robotics programs on both campuses with a brand-new class on the West Hills campus focusing on electronics and programming.

This year, CCEs summer Ste[+a]m Academy, for grades K-5, will once again be powered by STEMscopes. With a different curriculum each week, there is no repetition. Each STEMscope module engages students in cross-disciplinary activities that build knowledge and skills in areas including computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. Students can come for one week, or all five weeks.

The Great Books Academy, for grades K-5, is one of CCEs most popular programs aimed at educating the whole child. The Great Books curriculum is the cornerstone of the academy and is specially designed to help students become independent readers and thinkers by focusing on reading comprehension, critical thinking, vocabulary, and writing.

Summer is also an excellent time for students of all ages to pursue their creative passions in visual and performing arts. And children ages 5 to 15 can join CCEs Sports Camps and explore athletics from football to basketball as well as soccer, baseball, volleyball, fencing, and more. The West Hills campus also hosts Varsity Camps, which gives students the chance to work with Chaminade’s varsity head coaches, players, and former athletes with college and professional experience.

For more information visit chaminade.org/centerforexcellence or click here to register today.

Chaminade Fencing Captures State Title

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Chaminade News

By David Wharton P ’19

After near-misses the past two seasons, the Chaminade men’s fencing team captured the state title at the 2018 California high school championships, edging out rival Harvard-Westlake and Brentwood on Sunday.

The women’s squad put up a valiant fight, finishing a close second after the points were tabulated.

The results capped a successful rebuilding effort by Coach Derek Snyder, who lost a corps of veteran athletes after the 2016 season and had to start over with a roster of underclassmen.

On the men’s side, junior Zachary Wharton took bronze in foil competition and sophomore Lance Fortner racked up crucial points in both foil and epee to secure the title. Emmanuelle Cola, a junior, also won bronze in foil to lead the women.

The team needed strong performances top-to-bottom in the two events because it had no one in the saber category this season. Other team members included: Ian Ngo, John Conroy and Alek Yegazarian for the men and Charlotte Weller, Emily Brown and Mary Alexa Cantalejo for the women.

Chaminade has won more state titles in fencing than in any other varsity sport. The long-time program has produced numerous standouts – including Snyder, from the Class of 2001 – who have gone on to compete at the college and international level.

Senior Caps Scholastic Fencing Career with State Champion Gold Medal

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Chaminade News

Jacob Lind, Chaminade Fencing Captain, capped a record-setting Scholastic Fencing Career with an Individual Gold Medal in the California State Championships, at VAPA High School in Los Angeles. He has earned 35 medals throughout his career, included 14 Gold Medals, four Individual State Championships, four consecutive Foil Team State Championships, and two School State Championships. Jacob also earned a Gold Medal in the North American Cup event and qualified for two Senior World Cup competitions, which include the world’s best fencers. Jacob’s medal haul is the most Chaminade has seen since coach Derek Snyder ’01, dominated the SoCal Scholastic Fencing League, before going on to become a NCAA Champion at the University of Notre Dame.

Jacob began fencing in 6th grade at Chaminade, learning the sport from Coach Snyder. Fencing has a rich history at Chaminade, as the school has won more State Championships in fencing than in any other varsity sport, and many Chaminade fencers have gone on to fence competitively in college, and beyond.

During the summer, Jacob will teach fencing for all levels, at the Chaminade Center for Excellence June 13-17, June 20-24, and July 11-15. Click here for more details.