Women Take First Beanpot Tourney

The first-ever Beanpot tournament brought mixed results for the Harvard fencing team. While the women took home the trophy, beating Boston College, 22-5, MIT, 22-5, and Brandeis, 23-4, the men met a roadblock in the form of the Judges.

After defeating both the Engineers and Eagles handily by a score of 20-7, the final meet came down to the last three bouts. Tied 12-12, it was up to the foilists to put a previously sub-par team performance behind them with the all-important ‘W.’ But Brandeis took the first two in convincing fashion, solidifying a Judges victory. Although the Crimson won the final bout, it was for naught as the squad fell, 14-13.

In its first team competition of the season, the men’s foil was the only saving grace for Harvard, winning 5-4 in the matchup, with co-captain and junior Kai Itameri-Kinter and freshman Hao Meng each posting two victories. The foilists notched eight wins in each of the other two meets.

The epee fencers couldn’t find that same rhythm. With a strong combination of senior Teddy Sherill and sophomores Billy Stallings and Karl Harmenberg, the squad beat a weak opponent in the form of BC by the slimmest of margins, 5-4, and fell to the Judges by the same mark.

Saber, too, fell below its potential, losing to Brandeis, 5-4, despite crushing BC and MIT 7-2 and 8-1, respectively.

“We’re not as strong as we were in years past,” Harvard coach Peter Brand said. “I expected more from our saber guys...and our saber team is not as deep as we were last year. I’m a little disappointed because the saber squad is stronger than [Brandeis], and they beat us, and that shouldn’t happen.”

Where the men fell short, the women picked up the slack. Facing lighter competition from still-developing BC, MIT, and Brandeis, each weapon rose to the occasion.

The foil fencing trio of Misha Goldfeder, Arielle Pensler, and Anna Podolsky showed they are rookies no more, starting off their sophomore season with a perfect 27-0 day, and proving they will be a force to be reckoned with in the Ivy League.

“The matchup was just better for us against the women,” Brand said. “MIT, BC, and Brandeis’ women are much weaker.”

The saber also demonstrated its prowess, losing just three times on its way to 24 victories. Freshman Alexandra Sneider is having no trouble with the transition from the high school circuit to college. The change in style of competition usually takes a toll on the rookies, but Sneider managed a flawless performance in her first team meet.

“[Sneider] is taking it really well, needless to say,” said co-captain and saber fencer Samantha Parker. “She won all her bouts today, she’s fencing at a top level, really good with everything she’s doing.”

Despite strong performances from co-captain and junior Maria Larsson—who went undefeated—and classmate Lisa Vastola, the epee is sure to be the weakest weapon throughout the fall season.

With multiple fencers abroad or otherwise occupied, the Crimson is filling holes in any way possible—even selecting from freshman walk-ons and other weapons.

“We’re certainly weaker in the women’s epee,” Brand said. “Our third epee fencer isn’t even an epee fencer, so we have some work to do...We have to be realistic about this year. I call it a partly sunny year.”

—Staff writer Madeleine I. Shapiro can be reached at mshapiro@fas.harvard.edu.