Not much hurts a high school sports team more than graduating some of its best seniors every year–and that hits particularly hard for Spartan fencing for 2013. Having lost all three captains [all three of whom were consistent state finalists] and multiple more seniors, “This year will definitely be more challenging,” fencing captain Philip Swanson said. Swanson continues, though, hoping to fill that gap in leadership: “I’m definitely looking forward to leading the team in my new role as captain and pushing myself, along with everyone else, to do their best.”

Spartan Fencing is also getting an unusually high number of new recruits this year, from the Middle School to upperclassmen. Among them is junior Evan Leduc. “I’m excited to get the year started,” Leduc said. “We seem to have a great team dynamic and mix of skill levels.”