Three Medal in Penn St. Open To Kick Off Season

The Harvard men’s and women’s fencing teams started their season off on the right foot this weekend at the Garret Penn St. Open. In a tournament designed to shake off the offseason cobwebs, three Crimson fencers medaled in the tournament.

“I think we were all a little bit rusty,” co-captain epeé Karl Harmenberg said. “But overall I think it felt good. Next week we’ll hopefully be a little bit sharper.”

“This weekend was just preparation for next weekend,” co-captain epeé Noam Mills added. “We saw some weaknesses that we are going to be working on so next weekend we can perform well.”

Sophomore co-captains Mills and Caroline Vloka began their seasons similarly to the end of their freshmen years to lead the women’s team in the tournament. Vloka—who won the tournament last year in the sabre—finished second to Notre Dame’s Sarah Burrmann, securing a silver medal in the event. Mills notched the bronze medal after a close bout with national champion epeé fencer—and fellow Israeli national teammate—Anastasia Ferdman, 15-14.

“We were on the same junior-national team,” Mills said of Anastasia Ferdman. “We do have a history, and we know each other...but overall it doesn’t matter who I am fencing.”

The women welcome five new fencers to the team this year, boasting one of Harvard’s youngest squads ever. But it seems like the freshmen fit right in, bringing talent and a breath of fresh air to the reigning Ivy League champions.

“We have the opportunity to really set a high-intensity spirit on the team,” Harmenberg said. “The freshmen come with a lot of excitement. We can build on that and get the older people more excited.”

The Crimson was able to place nine of its fencers on the day, all of whom were freshmen and sophomores. In addition to Vloka’s performance, Harvard placed two other sabre fencers, including freshman Elena Helgiu in 16th and sophomore Hayley Levitt in 28th.

Helgiu may be the answer to the Crimson’s sabre woes of the past, as she surprised many in her first collegiate tournament.

“She faced a lot of the stronger fencers in the country,” Mills said. “It was a really good start for her for the season.”

Epeé looked to be the Crimson’s strongest weapon on the day, placing four individuals, including Mills. Freshmen Nadia Eldeib, Felicia Sun, and Alexa Fishman each finished 18th, 19th, and 44th respectively in the tournament.

Leading the women’s foil for the Crimson was sophomore Shelby MacLeod, who notched a 13th-place finish. Joining her on the rankings was freshman Katherine Chou, who came in 30th.

Sophomore sabre Valentin Staller led the way for the men, finishing second overal to earn a silver medal. Staller defeated Daniel Bak from Penn State, 15-11.

Harmenberg acknowledges the feats of the sophomores on the team, noting that while Staller and sophomore James Hawrot both had decent rookie years, they really began to come into their own during their first weekend out this season. The men will look to the two fencers to lead the team in its success throughout the year.

Following suit in the sabre and epeé were freshmen Thomas Kolasa and Hawrot, who each notched fifth place for their respective weapons.

Harmenberg finished 18th on the day in epeé, while fellow co-captain Long Ouyang tallied a 26th-place ranking in the foil.

The Crimson will look to continue their season next Sunday at the Harvard Invitational.

—Staff writer Melissa L. Schellberg can be reached at mlschell@fas.harvard.edu.