Brandeis Foiled by W. Fencing; Men Impaled

The Harvard men's (1-4) and women's (5-0) fencing teams traveled to Brandeis last night, emerging with dramatically different results.

While the Crimson women cruised to a 27-5 victory, the men suffered an unfortunate 19-8 loss.

Individually for the women, three fencers-co-captain Valerie Uzzell, freshman Emily Katz, and freshman Ellen Shultz-each posted a perfect 4-0 record for the evening.

Others contributing victories included co-captain Gabrielle Noyacek, sophomore Tamara Knutsen, freshman Nicole Jarrett, freshman Shruti Ravikumar, junior Skylar Byrd and sophomore Elizabeth Aranow.

"This was an excellent showing for us," Novacek said. "We are really excited about this victory and eagerly anticipate the showdown this weekend with Columbia. We hope our momentum will push us forward."

The Crimson women's toughest challenge of the season comes this weekend in the form of Columbia-a team led by the top ranked fencer in the country, Erin Smart.

With five freshmen on its eleven person roster, the Harvard women are a very young team this year. This has brought about only positive results-both on and off the mat-for the Crimson.

Freshman are carrying the team through its transition year. Especially impressive has been freshman foil Emily Katz, boasting an extremely impressive 19-0 record.

"We are very proud of our freshman," Novacek said. "They are mature and fun, and they have helped create a strong bond among the team this year."

Also boasting a young team composed of six freshmen, the Harvard men struggled against Brandeis last night and have not experienced much success this year.

"We have had a rough start," captain Bert Bangayan said. "But we are improving with each match, and our confidence is building."

Picking up individual wins against Brandeis last night included Bangayan, junior Glenn Austin, sophomore Davin Chew, freshman Josh Levin, freshman Solomon Liou, junior Zach Levenick and sophomore Eugene Cha.

Brandeis, a strong squad, has always been a close match for the Crimson. Over the past four years, each team has picked up two victories. Last year the edge went to the Crimson, 14-13.

Next up for the men is Columbia, a powerhouse in the sport, this Saturday in New York.

"We are going into the match with a good attitude," Bangayan said. "We hope to do well and look forward to February."

The main seasons of both the men's and women's teams' begin in February, when the Crimson takes on Ivy League rivals Penn, Princeton, and Yale.