NYU Sticks Harvard Fencers With First Loss of Year, 16-11

Fueled by foreign fencers, an awesome epee team led NYU to a 16-11 victory over the Crimson in Saturday's match at the IAB.

NYU trounced the Harvard epee contingent in all nine bouts. Finnish Olympic star Risto Hurme teamed with Swedish brothers Hans and Lars Weiselgren to trample Harvard's Matt Simmons, John Hawkins, John Hirschfeld and Sam Anderson.

Crimson swordsman Larry Tu said, "Their epee team is amazing. It was almost a foregone conclusion that they would win all nine epee bouts. We had to make up for it in the foil and the sabre."

The Crimson did indeed fare better in the other events, but not enough to compensate for NYU's strong showing in the epee. Harvard won the foil, 5-4, and triumphed in the sabre, 6-3.

"The only way we could have won it is if everyone on the foil and sabre teams had extremely exceptional days," Tu said. "Some people did, but not enough."

Tu was one of the two Harvard fencers to have a good day. He and Phillippe Bennett were the only Crimson swordsmen to win all three of their bouts. Crimson captain Gordon Rutledge won two of his three matches.

The loss was Harvard's first of the season against three defeats.