While many of their peers were vacationing over spring break, Jessie Chen ’27 and Soph Bililies ’27 competed in the NCAA Fencing Championships at Penn State. Challenged with the task to prove themselves on the largest collegiate stage for the first time in their careers, Chen finished 15th in the foil and Bililies 18th in the saber.
“Seeing the passion from every school and feeling the overwhelming support from my teammates certainly made the experience unforgettable,” Bililies wrote in a message to The Herald. “The level of competition, the school spirit and the camaraderie made this a true high point for me.”
The women’s competition — which took place from March 22 to 23 — marked the third straight year in which a duo of Brown fencers were selected to compete in the NCAA championships. Since 1995, Chen and Bililies are only the 20th and 21st Bears who have qualified for the tournament.
The fencers secured their spots in the tournament with strong showings at the NCAA Northeast Regional on March 9, where Bililies finished fourth in the saber and Chen finished eighth in the foil.
“Qualifying for the NCAA Championships was an incredible honor, and I was both humbled and excited for the opportunity,” Bililies wrote. “It was … a thrill to compete on that stage, surrounded by so many talented athletes.”
Battling nationally ranked fencers at the most prestigious tournament in collegiate fencing, Chen and Bililies represented Bruno with pride from the very beginning.
Chen had several decisive victories in the first three rounds on Saturday, including two 5-1 wins. Chen’s biggest challenge came against Cornell’s Renata Chusid, but after back-and-forth scoring, Chen came out on top 5-4.
On Saturday, Chen’s most impressive showing featured a 5-1 win over Stanford’s Arianna Cao, who went on to be crowned the NCAA champion for women’s foil. Despite these efforts, Chen landed in 16th place with an overall record of 7-8 after the first day of competition.
“It was really exhilarating to be on that stage, and I felt especially proud to represent Brown as the only women’s foil fencer,” Chen reflected in an email to The Herald. “I was also happy to reunite with people — my competitors are also my long-time friends, having collectively competed at a high level for years.”
Bililies also had a strong showing on the first day of the tournament, posting a 6-9 record against some of the nation’s strongest. Among her three stellar 5-2 victories was one against Notre Dame’s Siobhan Sullivan, who went on to finish second overall.
But Bililies also lost to a few tough opponents on Saturday, including the eventual women’s saber champion Magda Skarbonkiewicz of Notre Dame — a 2024 Olympian — and Princeton’s Alexandra Lee, who tied for third overall. After the conclusion of the first three rounds, Bililies stood in 18th place.
“My focus was on refining my strategic approach — making my actions unpredictable and difficult to counter,” Bililies reflected. “Each bout required calculated decision-making, and I wanted to be as tactically disciplined as possible.”
After a grueling day of fencing for both Brunonians, there was little time to rest before Sunday’s matchups commenced bright and early at 9 a.m.
On the second and final day of her first-ever national championship, Chen once again put on a strong showing. She finished with three additional victories under her belt — and three of her Sunday losses were narrow defeats by just one score.
Once the final scores were tallied, Chen finished 15th in the nation in the women’s foil with 10 total wins in the tournament.
“It was a personal breakthrough for me, especially since I beat many fencers I’d never won (against) before,” Chen wrote.
Bililies rounded out her first appearance at nationals with two wins on Sunday. Just like Chen, Bililies battled to the end and lost three close matches by just one score. She finished with eight victories, making her 18th in the nation.
“I’m rarely fully satisfied with my performance because I always see areas for improvement, and this tournament was no exception,” Bililies wrote. “That said, I’m proud of my results and the way I handled the competition.”
These top 20 finishes mark Bruno’s best since Casey Chan ’23 finished 15th in the saber at the 2023 championship tournament.
“This experience has fueled our determination more than ever,” Bililies said. “More of us are motivated to qualify for the NCAA Championships next season, and we’re ready to put in the work to make that a reality.”
