WALTHAM, Mass. – Graduate student
Maggie Shealy and junior
Tony Escueta of the fencing team have been named the Brandeis University Athletes of the Week for the week ending March 10, 2024. The award is presented weekly by the Chateau Restaurant Group.
Shealy, a native of
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and
Escueta of
Grand Prairie, Texas, each earned bronze medals in the sabre for the Brandeis at the 2024 NCAA Northeast Regionals at Long Island University on March 10, booking return trips to the NCAA National Collegiate Championships at the Ohio State University on March 21-24.
Shealy will return to the NCAA Championships for the third time in her career after finishing in third place at today's Regionals, her highest regional finish after taking sixth last year. Seeded second headed into the championships, Shealy went 4-2 in the first round with wins over opponents from NYU, Cornell, Tufts and BC to earn the 13th seed in the semifinal round. Shealy went 4-2 again with wins over foes from Columbia, Tufts, BC and Brown, earning eighth spot of 12 in the final round. Shealy saved her best fencing for the final round, going 8-3 with three 5-4 wins to take bronze, finishing one win behind the gold medalist from St. John's and taking third on indicator by 10 touches. Shealy did win two matches against St. John's fencers, as well as two against Cornell and Columbia and one each against Tufts and Harvard.
Escueta was seeded 13
th in men’s sabre entering the meet. He went 5-1 in the opening round to earn the third seed into the round of 21, then edged his way into the finals after going 3-3 in the second round. His wins over Yale, Columbia and Vassar included a +3 indicator, giving him the 10th spot of 12 in the finals. In the last round, the defending NCAA champion Ahmed Ferjani from St. John's took the title with nine wins, but Escueta and was among a group three with seven wins. Escueta took third overall with a +8 indicator. Escueta swept Boston College and earned wins over Columbia, LIU, NYU, Yale and Harvard.
This is the eighth year that the Brandeis Athlete of the Week program has been presented by The Chateau Restaurant Group. The Athlete of the Year Program highlights a top Brandeis student-athlete who has had an outstanding athletic achievement from the week prior. Each selected student-athlete will be featured on the Brandeis athletics homepage and inside the Chateau Waltham and Jake N Joes
Owned and operated by the Nocera Family, the Chateau Restaurant of Waltham opened in 1933 and set the standard for providing the tradition of Italian family dining, friendly service and quality food at reasonable prices for its customers. Located on 195 School Street, with 900 seats, the Chateau is always ready to accommodate large parties.
The Nocera Family consists of 6 brothers who have always had a passion for playing sports. In 2010, The Nocera Family launched a new concept, Jake n JOES Sports Grille. Jake n JOES Waltham opened in 2014 and is the best place to watch a game and enjoy quality food.
"Brandeis student-athletes are fantastic role models in our community,” says Chateau President Joe Nocera, “They exemplify the ideals of excellence and commitment both on and off the playing field. The Chateau Waltham and Jake n JOES Waltham are proud to partner with Brandeis Athletics to continue to enhance a positive focus within the Waltham Community."
Shealy is a 2019 graduate of East Chapel Hill High School. For more information on Brandeis women’s fencing, visit their web page at
https://brandeisjudges.com/sports/wfence.
Escueta is a 2021 graduate of Abeka Home School Academy. For more information on Brandeis men’s track and field team, visit their web page at
https://brandeisjudges.com/sports/mfence.
For more information on Brandeis athletics, visit our web page at
www.brandeisjudges.com or follow us on social media on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook @BrandeisJudges.
