Miller Place Fencer Ranked in Top Three on Long Island

Alyssa Hofilena is an incoming senior who, like many of her peers, is a scholar-athlete playing her favorite sport. Hofilena's sport of choice, however, is fencing, which is something not offered in the Miller Place School District.

Because Miller Place has no fencing team, Hofilena goes to Manhattan a few times a week to train under the current olympic saber coach Yury Gelman. She takes a two-hour train ride to and from the city sometimes coming home almost at midnight on a school night, according to her mother.

While the travel may take a toll, Hofilena is making her time invested worthwile as a nationally ranked saber fencer who recently competed in the US Fencing Summer Nationals in Anaheim, Calif. two weeks ago. She placed 8th in the Division IA Women's Saber Championships and 21st of 156 in the Under 19 Category.  

Hofilena, despite all her hard work training and competing,managed to make the High Honor Roll this year and has been a consistent honor student since middle school. She has already been recruited by at least three ivy league schools and nine other upper-tier schools.

She is currently the third highest rated women's saber fencer on Long Island and 39th in the nation in the Under 19 age group. She has represented the US in the Junior World Cup in Arizona this year and placed 13th there.