Ella Calise, a high school fencer from Rye, became the first person from the Tim Morehouse Fencing Club to win an individual medal at the Fencing Junior World Championships. Calise has established herself as one of the most prolific young talents in the area and the country with the strong showing on April 5 on the biggest stage for junior fencers.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the work our fencers have done to get to this point,” said Tim Morehouse, founder of the Tim Morehouse Fencing Club.
Calise was one of 11 fencers from the club to qualify for the championship tournament, which occurred in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is sanctioned by the International Fencing Federation (FIE). She was the first and only to win a medal in an individual event, claiming third place in the Cadet Women’s Individual Foil event.
Calise also earned bronze as part of the Junior Women’s Foil team. Her suitcase for her flight back to the United States came just a little closer to exceeding the 50-pound weight limit with two extra hunks of metal inside as compared to the trip to Rio. She will also forever be the first from her club to ever win an individual medal at the world championships.
Calise, a sophomore at Sacred Heart, will have plenty of interest from colleges once she becomes eligible to communicate with them. For now, she will continue to hone her craft with the Tim Morehouse Fencing Club, which is currently ranked as a top ten club in the United States in foil.
