Men's fencing starts slow, loses to Lions, Red Storm

There are only two names that matter in Ivy League fencing: Princeton and Columbia. This weekend those two teams clashed, along with national power St. John's and local rival Rutgers, in the men's fencing squad's most important dual meets thus far.

The first match of the day was with Columbia, and emotions were riding high as the two Ivy titans met for the first time. The match was a nail-biter, with both teams tied 9-9 at the end of two rounds. The Lions won a majority of the critical final bouts, however, and ended up narrowly defeating the Tigers 14-13.

Needless to say, the team was disappointed with the result of the Columbia match. After this emotionally charged contest, Princeton found themselves facing St. John's, the team that finished second nationally last year. As a scholarship program the Red Storm can attract a massive talent pool, including a former Olympic gold medalist and the No. 1 sabre fencer in the country. In spite of all this the Tigers were not about to roll over and die; after all, they themselves finished fifth overall at the end of last season.

Princeton found St. John's to be too much on this particular day though, falling by a final score of 17-10.

"It's always a dream/fantasy for us to finish ahead of a scholarship school, but losing to Columbia was a big emotional loss that probably affected us against St. John's" said freshman epee Ben Solomon.

The Tigers closed off the day against Rutgers, a team that while not on the level of St. John's or Columbia still possesses the intangible value of intrastate rivalry. Princeton polished off the Scarlet Knights 15-12 to cap off an exhausting day.

In spite of the loss to Columbia, Princeton is far from finished in Ivy League competition. Since there is no Ivy League tournament for fencing, the championship is awarded based on regular season records. Columbia came into the meet with one loss in the Ivies, and therefore by winning out the rest of their meets (a distinct possiblity) the Tigers are guaranteed at least a share of the Ivy League crown.