University of North Carolina Athletics
Fencing Shines On The International Stage
November 28, 2025 | Fencing
ORLEANS, FRANCE - Former Tar Heel Sophia Kovacs represented Team USA on Thursday, Dec 5, at the FIE Grand Prix. Kovacs won four bouts in the pool portion of the tournament as she entered the elimination portion as the No. 56. Kovacs opened DEs by taking down a fencer from Ukraine 15-12 as she scored five unanswered points to advance to the round of 64, where she bowed out to an Italian fencer. Kovacs finished in 74th.
Peter Bruk notched the second straight top 15 finish at the FIE Junior World Cup for Carolina fencing as he wrapped up his time in Samorin, Slovakia, in 14th. Bruk finished as the fourth-best American in the tournament. Bruk outperformed his seeding as he was tied for 102nd coming out of the pool round. Bruk started direct elimination, taking down a fencer from the Czech Republic 15-3. Bruk notched another victory against another Czech fencer who came in as the No. 26 seed, 15-12. Bruk bested another higher-ranked fencer from Romania before taking down the No. 7 fencer from China. Bruk bowed out in the round of 16.
Elizabeth Ziaglo had a fantastic showing at the International Fencing Federation Epee Junior World Cup in Hong Kong. Ziaglo finished 11th out of 147 other fencers from around the world, on Friday, Nov 28. She finished third among American women in the field. Ziaglo posted a 5-1 record in the pool round as she entered the direct elimination portion of the tournament tied for eighth. The freshman earned a B.Y.E. in the first round. She took down a fencer from China 15-10 in the round of 64. She fenced an Australian, the 25th seed, but prevailed 15-7. Ziaglo battled against Yasmine Khamis, a Harvard fencer who finished 12th at NCAAs last year. Ziaglo lost 15-12.
On Halloween, Bruk had an incredible showing in Istanbul, Turkey, for the Cadet & Junior Foil World Cup. Brukwhere he finished 23rd out of 304 fencers in the junior men's foil division. Bruk opened up the direct elimination as the No. 39 seed, besting a fencer from Hong Kong. Bruk upset a higher-ranked fencer from Poland (26th). Bruk's time in Turkey ended against the No. 7 fencer from France.
Players Mentioned
