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Brandeis University's Community Newspaper — Waltham, Mass.

Fencing: straight to the point

Published: February 11, 2011
Section: Sports


The men’s and women’s fencing teams have had an active week. Last weekend both teams competed in the Eric Sollee Invitational at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The women’s team also had a match against Wellesley after inclement weather postponed what should have been a Feb. 2 meeting.

Tuesday was arguably the highlight of the week as the women’s team overcame Wellesley for a 14-13 victory. Saber fighters led the way with a 9-0 run. Anna Hanley ’11, Zoe Messinger ’13 and Emmily Smith ’13 all went 3-0 against Wellesley opponents that just weren’t sharp enough.

In foil Brandeis went 3-6, struggling to find their marks. Senior Alex Turner provided the highlight for Brandeis, going 5-1 against Wellesley rookie Jenny Mittleman. Wellesley took the epee event 7-2 with Brandeis first-year Leah Mack taking the only Brandeis wins in that event.

During the weekend, the women’s team went 3-3 in tournament play at MIT. Brandeis took wins against Yeshiva (23-4), NYU (15-12) and Hunter (23-4). Brandeis couldn’t seem to succeed against Pennsylvania teams, losing to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn, 21-6) and Penn State (22-5). In the final round against Duke, the Judges fell to 3-3 with a 23-4 defeat.

The men’s team unfortunately didn’t fare as well during the weekend. Going 2-4 in the tournament, the Judges’ men’s team matched up similarly to the women’s team. The men’s team lost bouts against UPenn (19-8), Penn State (19-8) and, unlike the women’s team, lost to NYU (17-10). The men did manage commanding victories against Yeshiva (23-4) and Hunter (19-8). In the final round, also against Duke, the Judges were overwhelmed in a 24-3 defeat.

The women’s team duels next on Sunday at the Stevens Tech Invitational. Both teams are also competing in the Boston Beanpot tournament on Wednesday.