A Cut Above

Three weapons, 12 Harvard qualifiers—one national champion. Sophomore co-captain Caroline Vloka took home the gold medal and national title in the sabre, while teammate and fellow sophomore captain Noam Mills placed second in the epée at the NCAA Fencing Championships this past weekend. The men were led by sophomore Valentin Staller and freshman Tommasso di Robilant, who finished sixth and 12th in the sabre and foil, respectively.

Vloka won the title in a narrow 15-13 victory over Duke’s Rebecca Ward on the second day of the four-day competition, held at Gordon Indoor Track. The two also competed for the championship in last year’s tournament, with Ward walking away with a decisive win over Vloka.

For the sophomore, this second opportunity was a chance for redemption.

“Last year I was really nervous, but this year I was mad,” Vloka said. “I came in with the confidence that I needed and just believed that I could do it.”

This mindset made all the difference for Vloka.

The sophomore became only the second female national champion for the Crimson and the first female champion since Emily Cross ’08-’09 claimed the title in 2005. Vloka defeated Ohio State’s Margarita Tschomakova in the semis to advance to her second consecutive final-round appearance.

“To win, I knew I had to fence harder than I had ever fenced,” the champion said. “The only reason I beat [Ward] is because I gave it my all.”

Teammate Noam Mills, the No. 1 seed in the epée, fell, 15-10, in the final round to Penn State’s Margherita Guzzi Vincenti to claim the silver medal. The sophomore defeated another Penn State competitor, Anastasia Ferdmann to advance to the championship round.

Despite the loss, Mills and Vloka both were awarded first-team All-American honors.

In the foil, sophomore Shelby MacLeord garnered an 11th-place finish, while senior Artemisha Goldfeder placed 12th. Both competitors were given All-American Honorable Mention awards. The title winner for the foil was Columbia/Barnard’s Nicole Ross, who defeated Penn State’s Doris Willette, 15-9, for the gold.

Like Vloka, Ross had come close to the championship in previous year’s tournaments but had been unable to capture it until this weekend.

“This year, I think I just brought a lot more experience to the table,” Ross said. “I stayed really calm both days and was extremely patient in every bout.”

Although the Crimson men’s team cannot boast a national champion, its six qualifiers all posted consistent performances, keeping Harvard in fifth place overall. Staller’s showing was good enough to earn him a spot on the All-American Second Team while di Robilant garnered All-American Honorable Mention honors.

Also competing for the Crimson were freshman Michael Tom, who finished 21st in the sabre, junior Hao Meng, who placed 16th in foil, and sophomore James Hawrot and senior Karl Harmenberg, who captured 14th and 16th in the epée, respectively.

“This year was an especially tough NCAA championship,” Staller said. “I think we did very well...and [it] bodes well for the future.”

The future does look bright for the Harvard team, which is graduating only six seniors after this season.

Both squads are heavily dominated by talented freshman and sophomore classes, including Vloka, Mills, and Staller. Of the qualifying 12, nine were either freshmen or sophomores, indicating the potential for continued strong showings in the seasons to come.

“We’re poised to do very well in the next few years,” Staller said. “I think getting the experience of this really hard tournament will help everyone move forward.”

A particular boon for the Crimson was the home-field advantage, allowing all team members, their families, and the Harvard community to attend the event and support the athletes.

“I really see the Harvard fencing team as kind of a family,” Vloka said. “Having all of them here able to support me was just amazing.”

The Crimson finished fifth overall in the tournament, falling to Penn State, St. John’s, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. But Harvard was able to defeat conference rival Princeton, which captured the Ivy League crown earlier in the season.

With the promise of talented underclassmen—including a national champion and several All-American athletes—the Crimson fencing team’s fifth-place finish could just be the beginning of the squad’s success in years to come.

—Staff writer B. Marjorie Gullick can be reached at gullick@college.harvard.edu.