University of North Carolina Athletics
Fencing Shines On The International Stage
November 28, 2025 | Fencing
THAILAND/SPAIN/HUNGARY - A trio of Carolina fencers started their winter break by competing in the International Fencing Federation Junior World Cup. Peter Bruk and Elizabeth Zigalo both earned top-15 finishes in their respective competitions.
Bruk continued his incredible run of success on the international and collegiate stage. Bruk finished 11th at the World Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, competing in men's foil. The sophomore had the best finish of any American on the day. He opened against fellow American Alexander, who fences at Penn, winning by eight. Bruk followed that up by beating a fencer from Japan by double digits. His final win was by five points against a Chinese fencer. This marked his third straight top-15 finish at the FIE World Cup.
Zigalo had a great showing in Burgos, Spain, finishing 11th in women's epee. The freshman started off by earning a B.Y.E. in the first round before taking down a fencer from New Zealand by five points. Ziaglo notched another impressive victory as he beat a French fencer by eight points, 15-7. Ziaglo fell to Yasmine Khamis, a Harvard fencer who fenced previously against Ziaglo in Hong Kong in November.
Dagny Johnson finished in 42nd and earned two wins against a Romanian and a French fencer in women's saber in Budapest, Hungary.
Previous:
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 Zigalo had a fantastic showing at the International Fencing Federation Epee Junior World Cup in Hong Kong. Zigalo 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. Bruk where 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
