M. Fencing Posts Best Season in 25 Years

Led by a trio of freshman All-Americans, the Harvard men’s fencing team completed its most successful season since 1976-77.

The Crimson (14-2, 2-2 Ivy) opened the season on Nov. 24 with a monumental 14-13 come-from-behind victory over Columbia. Harvard had not beaten the Lions since 1978, and during the last 16 years the Crimson has posted an 1-63 record against current Ivy League teams. During that same stretch, Columbia has won 11 Ivy titles to add to its legacy as the all-time winningest collegiate fencing program with 13 NCAA championships.

“I think it represents a huge turning point,” said co-captain Ben Schmidt. “Columbia was number one last year and returned all its key players.”

Harvard rattled off seven more victories after its season-opening shocker to start the year on an eight-game winning streak before finally falling, 10-17, to Penn on Feb. 2.

Freshmen Tim Hagamen and David Jakus provided an incredible one-two punch in the saber division, while fellow freshman Julian Rose was almost as dominant in the epee.

Hagamen and Rose went on to earn second-team All-American honors with seventh-place finishes at the NCAA Championships on March 22-23 at the Air Force Academy. Jakus was an honorable mention All-American after finishing ninth.

“It was a good result for a freshman,” Hagamen said. “It’s a unique competition, so it is difficult in that sense, but it was also a really strong field.”

Hagamen had expected to do better after placing first at the Intercollegiate Fencing Association (IFA) Championships with an undefeated 14-0 record and a dominant 15-4 victory over the No. 2 seed in the finals. Hagamen is ranked No. 3 on the U.S. senior national team and had lost just two bouts all season heading into the NCAA Championships.

The trio of Hagamen, Jakus and co-captain Scott Silver also took the saber team title at the IFA Championships.

With the Crimson leading by just one win and only three bouts remaining, Silver trailed Brandeis’ Gilad Goren 4-1. Facing elimination, Silver came back to take the next four points and win the bout, 5-4.

“Scott’s an unbelievable guy,” Jakus said. “It’s the best I’ve seen him fence all year. Coming back in that last match with Brandeis was great. I felt good for him.”

Silver’s victory clinched the saber title.

“It’s a pretty big trophy,” Hagamen said. “It took us a quite a while to find the last time Harvard was on it, but we eventually found it...back in 1941.”

The Crimson shared the title 62 years ago, but it was Harvard first outright men’s saber title in over a century.

Both Hagamen and Jakus were a perfect 10-0 in team competition. Jakus ultimately finished in seventh with an 11-1 overall record, but he could have finished much higher. His only loss came to the eventual silver medalist in the quarterfinals.

After struggling to a 7-3 record in round-robin competition, Rose cruised through the single elimination bracket to reach the epee finals at the IFA Championships. Rose lost on the final touch, 15-14, to Princeton’s Soren Thompson and finished second.

The men’s epee, foil and saber teams were equally dominant in the Northeastern Fencing Conference (NFC). The Crimson was a perfect 9-0 during the NFC dual-meet season and posted an overall edge of 205-38 in bouts won. Its narrowest margin of victory was a 19-8 title clinching win over Brandeis on Feb. 12.

—Staff writer Timothy Jackson can be reached at jackson2@fas.harvard.edu.

M. Fencing

Record 14-2 (2-2 Ivy, 3rd place)

Coach Peter Brand

Captains Ben Schmidt, Scott Silver

Highlights Harvard defeats Columbia, 14-13, for the first time since 1978 in the season opener. Freshmen Tim Hagamen, David Jakus and Julian Rose earn All-American honors. Harvard wins its first IFA saber title in 62 years. The Crimson go a perfect 9-0 in NFC competition with a dominant 205-38 bout advantage. Harvard posts a 2-2 Ivy record after going 1-63 against current Ivy schools over the past 16 years.