Fencing gains experience in wins over Stevens, NJIT

In the frantic haze of papers and exams, the Princeton fencing squad welcomed local foes Stevens Institute of Technology and New Jersey Institute of Technology to their first dual meet of the season last Saturday.

With meets against the toughest teams in the Ivy League coming up, the Tigers viewed last weekend's matches as preparation and practice. It was a chance for the Tigers to perfect their technique. The meet also provided insight into what the squad should expect for this season, and what the team needs to work on in order to be successful against more talented teams.

Though the Tigers have not competed in nearly two months because of cancellations due to snow, there were no signs of rust as they defeated both opponents in all three weapon groups.

The men's team trounced Stevens 9-0 in foil, 8-1 in sabre and 7-2 in epee. Juniors Scott Sherman and Eric Stodola, along with freshman Alejandro Bras, delivered strong performances to give Princeton the shutout in foil.

NJIT did not fare much better than the Ducks against the strength and depth of the Tiger squad. The men ripped through the Highlander lineup, winning 8-1 in foil, 6-3 in sabre and 5-4 in epee.

The women's showing was equally, if not more, impressive than the men's, as the Tigers shutout NJIT in both foil and sabre, and defeated the Highlanders 8-1 in epee.

Several of the most successful men's and women's fencers this weekend were underclassmen who were eager to prove themselves in dual play. Though these easy wins have little predictive value for the rest of the season, it was crucial for the young Tigers to get on the strip and fence with their veteran teammates for the first time. The gain in experience was the most important aspect of last weekend's meet for the Tigers.

"Most of our competition wasn't particularly difficult, and we generally handled ourselves fairly well on the strip," junior sabre James Leighton said. "The primary concern is getting our fencers more experience and getting them used to fencing hard matches."

Despite a few missed touches and the disappointing loss of some bouts that should have been won, the freshmen fenced well, adding to the high expectations for the rest of the season. Elan DiMaio and Mina Morova, both fencing sabre, along with Sara Jew-Lim fencing foil, delivered stellar debut performances and helped the women gain their two shutouts against NJIT.

"This meet showed us that we have to work harder because there were still a couple of bouts lost that should have been won, and some touches that shouldn't have been scored against us," Sherman said. "Those kind of mistakes can't happen if we want to beat Columbia, Penn, Harvard, and Yale."

If the team hopes to be successful this year, the fencers will have to keep their focus throughout the entire match. A slight lapse in concentration can lead to poor touches and lost bouts, as was the case on Saturday.

"A fencer must be emotionally detached from a bout," Leighton said. "If he gets frustrated, complacent or angry and allows that to affect his judgment and control, he may very well lose the bout."

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This advice was especially applicable to the younger fencers who were nervous going into their first collegiate match. They certainly lived up to expectations, though, displaying a promising eagerness to try and try again if they did not succeed at first.

"The newer fencers may not win every bout, but they were extremely eager to get back on the strip and try again," Leighton added. "For a good fencer, it's hard to watch a bout from the sidelines. They're constantly trying to figure out how to beat an opponent, and I am happy to see the fencers on my squad demonstrating that quality."

Though the victories this weekend were nothing less than what the Tigers had expected, their total domination of the opposition was a promising first step in this budding new season. With fencers of all years stepping up and demonstrating their talent and renewed zest, it was a successful weekend for the tightly knit team that can't wait to pounce all over the Ivy League title.