NCAA Tourney Awaits Crimson

For the Harvard fencing team, perhaps the third time really is the charm.

This weekend, the Crimson will be hosting the NCAA Fencing Championships for the third time at the Gordon Indoor Track.

“NCAA championships fencing is a very competitive event,” Harvard coach Peter Brand said. “It brings together some of the best fencers in the world. It’s an opportunity for the Harvard community to see a very special event.”

Both the Crimson men’s team (14-7, 3-2 Ivy) and the women’s team (15-8, 3-3 Ivy) will be sending the maximum number of fencers—two for each weapon­­­—for a total of 12 fencers to the National Championships, out of a field of 144 fencers.

This represents one of the best chances for Harvard—ranked No. 6 for men and No. 9 for women—to take home a number of individual championships as well as a possible team title.

“We qualified 12 [individuals],” Brand said. “I was very, very pleasantly surprised by our performance at the regional event, and consequently we have a shot at the title this year.”

Harvard’s toughest competition will come from No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Penn State, while St. Johns, Princeton, and Ohio State will also look to contend for individual and team accolades.

“Both the women’s and men’s fields are extremely strong,” Brand said. “The last couple of years, Harvard has had a very strong fencing program, and we are always a match for any fencing programs in the country.”

But the opposition is just as talented as the rising Crimson squad.

“The biggest strength [Notre Dame and Penn State] has is that they are such deep teams,” senior Karl Harmenberg said. “All their 12 fencers from both squads have a shot at clinching the competition.”

On the women’s side, sophomore co-captain Noam Mills and freshman Felicia Sun will be competing in epee, sophomore Shelby MacLeod and senior Artemisha Goldfeder will represent Harvard in foil, and freshman Elena Helgiu and sophomore co-captain Caroline Vloka will participate in sabre.

Mills, MacLeod, and Vloka took home All-Ivy first team accolades, and Mills and Vloka took second place at NCAA regionals in their respective weapons, while MacLeod took fourth.

For the men, Harmenberg and sophomore James Hawrot will compete in epee, freshman Tommasso di Robilant and junior Hao Meng will contest in foil, and freshman Michael Tom and sophomore Valentin Staller will represent the Crimson in sabre. Staller earned All-Ivy first team honors while Hawrot and Harmenberg were named All-Ivy second team. In addition, Hawrot and Harmenberg placed first and third, respectively, in the foil at the NCAA regionals last weekend.

Based on these results, Brand has confidence in his men’s team.

“On the men’s side,” Brand said. “I believe right now the person who has a shot is Valentine Staller in saber. I think a dark horse coming in would be James Hawrot in epee.”

Having the competition on home turf will definitely improve the chances of the Harvard fencers, as the Crimson men boast an overall record of 11-2 at home this season while the women’s team holds a perfect 7-0 record at home.

“The home field advantage definitely does enhance our chance,” Brand said. “I think the fencers are really excited for having their family and friends to come and cheer for them … and I think that we’re going to benefit from that.”

The Crimson fencers are taking these last couple of days to prepare both mentally and physically for the championship and the challenges ahead.

“We are working very hard,” Brand said. “We are taking the opportunity to use every minute we have to prepare for this event. We are very excited and we want to put on a good show for our friends and family here at Harvard.”