Fencing Falls To MIT

The Harvard fencing team opened its NCAA season with measured success at a Northeast Fencing Conference meet hosted by Brown on Saturday. Both the Crimson men and women earned victories over club squads from UMass, UNH and B.U., but both fell to varsity MIT teams.

“We were disappointed that we lost to MIT,” said junior co-captain David Wollenberg. “They’ve beaten us in close matches three years in a row now and we were hoping to turn it around this year, but they got us.”

Freshman Phil Sherrill stood out with a record of 11-1. Sherrill also came in 16th at the Penn State Open last week.

“I was really impressed with Phil’s performance,” said junior co-captain Ben Schmidt. “He’s going to be a great addition to the team.”

Wollenberg also performed well with a 9-3 tournament record while junior Scott Silver went 10-2.

“Traditionally our weakest squad is sabre, and seeing them improve was a high note,” Schmidt said. “Epee did a consistently good job. They were undefeated on a squad-by-squad basis.”

The Crimson combined the scores of foil (3-6), epee (5-4), and sabre (2-7) to a total score of 10-17 against MIT.

“There’s a lot of young guys on our team and we were a little off this weekend with it being our first NCAA meet of the year,” Schmidt said.

The women had similar success with the club teams but also succumbed to the Engineers. The women added a win over Smith College to the shared results of the day for a record of 4-1.

“I think everyone was a little dissappointed that we lost to MIT,” said co-captain Nicole Jarrett. “We weren’t completely on that day. It was the first serious meet of the season. Everyone has realized what they need to work on.”

While the Crimson sabre become stronger each year, the squad had particularly tough competition in MIT.

“In sabre, they have one of best women’s fencers in country with Caroline Purcell,” Jarrett said. “She definitely brings them up a notch.”

Junior sabreur Amy Bei and sophomore sabreur Eunice Yi were among the top performers of the day while senior epeeist Tamara Knutsen stood out, winning two of three bouts against MIT. The foilists turned in solid results across the board.

As the Crimson opens a new season, it begins with a seasoned team ready to face obstacles such as poised foes and injury.

“We’ve dealt with younger teams in the past few years,” said co-captain Ellen Schulz. “We’re trying to take it to that next level. We lost [senior] Emily Katz with a torn ACL, so that’s obviously something to overcome.”

Harvard began its season with a loss to MIT but try to use it to springboard to a better show against Brandeis on Nov. 27.

“MIT was disappointing,” Jarrett said. “But if anything, it’s just going to push us harder.”

Harvard will face other NFC foes as the season continues, specifically at the NFC Championships on Jan. 26 at B.C.

Dates with a number of Ivy League foes, including Yale, Penn and Princeton, will pose significant challenges in the team’s winter schedule. The men will also face Columbia, a perennial national contender.

The Crimson will also have a chance to face Penn State, one of the top fencing teams in the country.