Ben Bratton, Champion
Ben Bratton, captain of the St. John’s fencing team, is in Torino, Italy for the Fencing World Championship, which began on Sept. 30, and will compete as both an individual and as part of the United States National Team.
The two-time All-American began competition on Oct. 1, though the individual sabre portion of the event starts on Sept. 30. Team competitions will start on Oct. 5.
Bratton fences with the epee, and only four fencers from each weapon, the epee, sabre and foil, will be representing their country internationally, making the honor even more prestigious for Bratton.
“This is the first time I will compete as a member of the national team, so I am very excited,” Bratton told RedStormSports.com. “This is a great opportunity for me to test my skills on the biggest stage in the world. Hopefully, all of my hard work will pay off.”
Head coach Yury Gelman will be present during the competition as a coach for the U.S. Sabre team along with St. John’s alumni Keith Smart and Ivan Lee.
The event is being held at the Oval Lingotta, which is connected to the Olympic Village. Those who make a good showing at the World Championship will have a better chance of qualifying for the 2008 Olympics.
Men’s Soccer
Georgios Spanos, captain of the men’s soccer team, has been receiving national praise lately. He was honored by the Soccer Times as “Best of the Rest,” runner-up for National Player of the Week. In Soccer America, he was named to the National Team of the Week and also earned accolades from TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Last week, Spanos was also named the Big East Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts during St. John’s Sept. 23 1-0 shutout of Louisville.
This is the second time he has won the award this season, making him only the second player (along with West Virginia forward Jarrod Smith) to win a Big East Player of the Week award twice.
Basketball
The men’s and women’s basketball teams will be at St. John’s Storm Fest, a preseason event being held this Thursday in Carnesecca Arena.
The men start their preseason schedule Nov. 4, facing off against Division II St. Thomas Aquinas while the women start up Nov. 2 against Team adidas Elite.
