Colts Neck Teen Makes U.S. World Cadet and Junior World Fencing Teams

COLTS NECK, NJ - Ariana Mangano of Colts Neck is taking her love for and skill in fencing all the way to the World Championships this spring! Mangano, a sophomore at Ranney School in Tinton Falls, landed a spot on the U.S. World Cadet and U.S. Junior World Fencing Teams this spring.

She will compete with fencers from across the globe at the April 2017 tournament in Bulgaria. Mangano, 15, traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, over Presidents’ Day Weekend to compete in USA Fencing’s Junior Olympic event to determine whether she would qualify for the World Teams – and after four days of battling, she qualified.

After a sports injury to her shoulder in 2015, she was determined to get back on the mat. In fact, within a few months of the injury, she won the Youth 14 Women’s Epee at the Kansas City NAC, and then made her way to the top 22 in the Division 1 NAC to qualify for the Division Championships. She finished in the top 8 at the St. Louis NAC in the Junior Women’s Epee division that year.

Above, Mangano with her fencing coach at Ranney, Mohammed Shafaie. She also coaches with two others at Atlantic Fencing Academy.

“There is no way that Ariana would be able to fence at this level without the support of each and every one of her Ranney teachers," said her mother, Joy Vastola Mangano. "They make sure she knows the material she misses and they all give her the confidence and support she needs to fence with a clear head and not worry about the stress of school. They work around her schedule, and this type of support is priceless.”