Harvard Finishes Fall Season With Authority

Newton’s first law states that an object in motion stays in motion.

Harvard women’s fencing team has yet to defy it.

Chugging along with nothing to stop it, the Crimson capped off its fall season last night with a 21-6 victory over Tufts at the Malkin Athletic Center.

The foil and sabre fencers continued the dominance its shown all season, going 9-0 and 8-1, respectively, while the epee lost its final bout to fall 5-4.

Despite fatigue from a nine-match week, last night was a relief for the fencers, who faced a much less experienced Jumbo team that has not beaten Harvard in recent memory.

“We pretty much knew that Tufts is fairly weak, it’s one of those teams we like to fence every year to support them,” Crimson coach Peter Brand said.

“It gives me a chance to play some of the walk-ons, which is very important to me,” he added.

Yet the competition provided a different sort of challenge. In a typical David and Goliath matchup it’s clear what kind of competition David presents. But in this realm, inexperienced fencers do not move in the same ways seasoned veterans do.

“It’s always hard to adjust to beginners because you expect them to react in a certain way and then they don’t react,” co-captain Samantha Parker said. “It’s a different sort of game you’re playing then. You’re not preparing your actions in the same way. It’s a little slower, it’s a little more patient.”

The foilists were up to the challenge, losing no time in continuing their march to perfection.

The sophomore trio of Misha Goldfeder, Arielle Pensler, and Anna Podolsky has surprised even its coach by competing at the highest level and with the highest consistency. Coming off a weekend where it beat the reigning champion Penn State foil fencers 6-3, the momentum did not fail to carry over.

“I think they work together really well and they’re close to each other off the playing field,” Brand said. “Technically they’ve gotten better, but in addition to that they’re able to help each other more, because they know each other so well. And it shows in their results so far.”

The sabre squad was not to be outdone. Winning its first seven bouts, a slight blip in the radar was capped off by a final-bout victory.

Parker was the lone sabre fencer to fall, accompanied by sophomore Eva Rosenberg and freshman Alexandra Sneider’s 3-0 finishes.

“The same goes for our saber fencers [as for our foil fencers],” Brand said. “It’s a young team, but they mesh really well and they’re performing exceptionally well.”

The epee continued to be the weakest link for the Crimson, struggling to find any kind of rhythm with continuously gaping holes.

Junior co-captain Maria Larsson—the lone trained-epee fencer—and junior Lisa Vastola each notched a 2-1 mark on the day, while freshman walk-on Yunsoo Kim still failed to get the elusive first win.

The squad now stands undefeated after a whirlwind week that involved all nine of its fall opponents. The tough and consistent competition included the first annual Beanpot and the typically elusive Nittany Lions.

“I’d never beaten Penn State, I don’t think we’ve actually ever beat Penn State before, but we did and it was great,” Parker said. “I think it’s really setting us up for Ivies. This is a really great way to start off the next part of the season.”

With nearly two months before its next competition and the all-important Ancient Eight season, Harvard hopes nothing—not even exams—can stop the momentum.

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